NORWICH – Nearly 70 miles of road and bridge work are on the docket for Chenango County’s Department of Public Works this year, and most of it to make up for lost time.

Crews were forced to abandon approximately 40 miles of work scheduled in 2006 in order to mediate after record-breaking floods in June and November. About 80 percent of the initial damages were repaired by the time Nov. 16’s high waters wiped out a third of them again.

DPW employees were still addressing some flood damage last week.

The department relied on all available highway workers throughout the county to help last year, as well as three hired contracting firms. DPW Director Randy Gibbon said the total spent was $3.2 million, of which $2.6 million has yet to be reimbursed. The Federal Emergency Management Association has returned about $600,000 to the county.

The department hopes to get back on track with approximately 70 miles of chip, seal and asphalt overlays to roadways in addition to bridge work. State engineering approvals for the Halfway House/county Route 32A bridge - applied for more than two years ago - finally landed on Gibbon’s desk this winter. The 180-foot span design connects state Rt. 12 to the recently-widened county Rt. 32.