OGDENSBURG — The dismantling of the Lake Street pedestrian bridge is complete and landscaping is under way for its nearby successor in preparation for the new crossing’s public opening next month.

City Public Works Director Kit W. Smith said Tuesday that the dismantling and removal of the bridge over the Oswegatchie River was finished two weeks ago.

“It looks a lot different now, doesn’t it?” he said. “It’s substantially completed for now.”

The work ahead for the $2.5 million project’s contractor, Tuscarora Contracting, Pulaski, includes landscaping and fencing on both sides of the river by the sites of the former and current bridges.

“It’ll look pretty good once this is all in place,” Mr. Smith said of the cosmetic improvements.

He said the project will come in $50,000 to $60,000 under budget. Those unused funds, he said, will be spent on additional landscaping.

The 400-foot-long replacement bridge’s underside has been fitted with sewer and water lines that are in operation.

The bridge will connect the city’s marina district to downtown. That connection between the east and west sides is more than just symbolic, according to one city councilor.

“I think that it’s going to encourage development on both sides of the river,” said William D. Hosmer, whose newly opened Hosmer’s Marina, 54 E. River St., is a few yards south of the new bridge.

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