| Copyright 2015 linkinglewiscounty.com all rights reserved privacy policy here |
| NYS Comptroller's Report Indicates 23% of Locally Owned Bridges in Lewis County are Structurally Deficient 10/12/17 03:45pm By: Nick Altmire (nick@linkinglewiscounty.com) |
Google Suggested Content:
| Lewis County's 24/7 Home for News, Sports, Weather, Events & More |
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli indicates that 23% of locally owned bridges in Lewis County are structurally deficient. First, before getting too far into the report, it is important to note a few things, including what structurally deficient actually means and what is considered a locally owned bridge. As defined in the report, a bridge is classified as “structurally deficient” if important load-carrying elements are in poor condition, or if it is prone to repeated flooding resulting in traffic delays. The classification does not mean that the bridge is unsafe. However, structurally deficient bridges may be posted with weight limits in order to remain in service. Locally owned bridges are bridges owned by a local municipality, such as the county, town or village. State and federal bridges are not included. Of the 167 bridges in Lewis County, 120 are locally owned according to the Comptroller's report. Of the 120, 87 are owned by the county and 33 are owned by towns and villages. The report states that 28 of the 120 locally owned bridges are designated as structurally deficient, which is 23.3%, the fourth highest percentage of all counties in NY State. We spoke with Lewis County Highway Superintendent David Becker regarding the state of bridges in the county. "The most important thing to relay to residents is there are not any bridges open that are unsafe to use, but it is very important to obey the posted weight limits where posted," Mr. Becker said. Based on the criteria for a bridge to be deemed structurally deficient, any bridge with a posted weight limit under 20-ton would be included. Mr. Becker said that there are four county-owned bridges that are posted at a 3-ton weight limit, the lowest allowed. These are all very low traffic bridges and include the Moose River Extension bridge, the Old State Road bridge off the Deer River Road, the Myers Road bridge in West Leyden and the Junction Road bridge in West Leyden. A bridge on the Jerden Falls Road is posted at 5-ton and there are two bridges posted for 16-ton. Mr. Becker estimated that 12 of the 33 owned town and village bridges were in the structurally deficient category with posted limits below 20-ton. According to Mr. Becker, the county has been replacing at least one bridge deck each year. This includes replacing or adding beams and replacing the bridge deck. This year highway department crews replaced the deck on the Cobb Road bridge, while last year they did the Cemetery Road bridge in Lowville. The plan for next year is to do two deck replacements on the Sears Pond Road. Two complete rebuilds are already on the schedule for next year as well, with funding already in place. Both the Jerden Falls Road bridge in the Town of Croghan and the Blue Street bridge in Glenfield will undergo a rebuild next year. Funding has already been secured, with 80% federally funded, 15% funded by the state and the remaining 5% coming from the county. The Highmarket bridge has already been approved for federal funding and the application for state funding will be going in soon, with anticipated replacement by 2020. Statewide about 12.8% of locally owned bridges carry the structurally deficient designation, down from 16.7% in 2002, with a total cost to repair estimated at $27.4 billion according to the Comptroller's report. The repair figure for the structurally deficient bridges in the North Country region is estimated at $827 million. |
