Schoharie’s Bridge Street bridge has been flagged by the state for safety issues; after January 1, it will be posted with a weight limit of 18 tons while the Board of Supervisors and DPW fast-track efforts to replace it.
Getting to that point—a replacement bridge—could take as long as six years, DPW Commissioner Dan Crandell said Friday.
And it won’t be cheap:
Estimates a year ago put the cost at $14.2 million.
Mr. Crandell said they’ve been promised a grant from Congresswoman Elise Stefanik once the 2024 federal budget is approved.
Though he’d also looked into Bridge New York funding, those grants top out at $5 million.
Supervisors have already agreed to spend $478,000 on preliminary engineering and rights-of-way for construction, money that will come from the fund balance to be replaced if the grant comes.
Mr. Crandell said signs will be going up on the bridge with the reduced weight limit.
There’s also the possibility that the limit could be lowered if the bridge deteriorates further.
“Posting the bridge is the prudent thing to do,” he said. “And we’re keeping an eye on it.”
The state flagged the bridge over continued erosion of rocker bearings, pins, and gussets.
The weight limits on the bridge are especially hitting home for the Town of Schoharie, Supervisor Alan Tavenner, who also chairs supervisors’ Highway Committee, told them Friday.
“We’re going to have to reroute our [plow and snow] trucks,” he said.
“I don’t know what the next step is, but we need to take the next step.”
Schoharie Highway Superintendent Les Foland said Wednesday that loaded, his trucks will be too heavy for the bridge and will have to go around to Wetsel Hollow.
In a storm, he said, that could mean a two-hour turnaround time.
“It’s not safe and people aren’t going to be happy,” Mr. Foland said.
“I wish I had more time. I got two weeks to try to figure this out, how to serve people on that side of the mountain [Terrace Hill.]”
Mr. Foland also pointed out that the longer trips will mean more overtime for the town crew.
There was some discussion of stockpiling sand and salt on the other side of the bridge, but Mr. Tavenner said he wanted to sit down with Mr. Foland and Mr. Crandell to brainstorm first.
“We’re funding the engineering studies,” he said. “If we don’t have the grant funding by the time they’re done, we’ve [the county] got money in reserves and we can definitely bond it for 10 years.
“It’s our damn bridge.”
Mr. Tavenner made that point again to fellow supervisors.
“If that bridge is closed to schoolbusses and everything else”—for now, it’s not; emergency vehicles will also be allowed to use it—“I think people are going to say ‘How did you sleep through this?’” he said.
“If we have to bond it over the next 10-15 years, it’s our bridge.”
Broome Supervisor Steve Weinhofer agreed.
“We can’t sit and wait for funding while that bridge falls in the creek. We need to keep this going.”