OXFORD – It will be close to a year before work will begin to replace the deteriorating 56-year old bridge which serves as the only link between the Village of Oxford’s east and west sides, according to an update provided by the steering committee tasked with overseeing the roughly $3 million project.
Work to replace the existing Main Street bridge was scheduled to begin in 2009, according to Oxford Mayor Terry Stark, as he related the news to the committee members that the project had been delayed.
According to the revised schedule, he explained, “the letting of the bridge is going to move back to December 9, 2010.” Construction, which will now begin in the spring or summer of 2011, is expected to take approximately 18 months.
“In effect, we’re losing a year,” the mayor reported.
The delay in itself is of concern because of the existing structure’s condition.
“If the bridge isn’t safe, they’ll shut it down and we’ll have to deal with it,” said Stark.
At present, the span’s weight limit is posted as 20 tons; high enough to allow emergency vehicles, school buses and highway trucks to utilize the crossing. It is, however, inspected on a monthly basis by the Chenango County Department of Public Works. If at any point the bridge is deemed unsafe or the weight limit is lowered below 15 tons, as it was prior to emergency repair in 2006, those vehicles will have to find an alternate route.
The inability to use the Main Street crossing is something that the Oxford Fire Department as well as the Oxford Academy and Central School District will have to contend with during construction of the new bridge, as no temporary bridge (only a pedestrian walkway) will be built.
For the school, it may mean that starting and ending times to the school day may need to be adjusted. For the emergency responders, the hindrance is more than just an inconvenience. Oxford Fire Chief Ron Martin has said in the past that having to utilize the State Hwy 220 one mile to the north could increase emergency response times to points west of the Chenango River by as much as 10 minutes.
To help mitigate these concerns, Stark has been exploring temporary storage options on the village’s west side, looking for a location where an ambulance and two other pieces of fire apparatus could be stored. So far, that search has been unsuccessful.
“There is nothing in Oxford that I’m aware of - and I’ve looked for a long time - that can accommodate three vehicles,” he reported, without requiring costly renovations.
Because he said he also sees a long-term need for storage in the village, Stark said one of the options being investigated is enclosing the pavilion at the municipality’s waste water treatment facility. Initial estimates for the project, however, came in at $100,000, which were higher than he had expected for the 25,000 square foot structure.
According to Gene Rood, a local engineer who sits on the committee, the costs are such because the pavilion’s base is a porous asphalt which would not “take the weight” of the equipment.
While Stark had hoped to secure a portion of the funding from the federal highway commission, he has been unsuccessful in his attempts so far.
“At this point, they are not going to consider funding,” he said, in part because the village was able to do without in the early 90s when the bridge was closed for a six month period for repairs.
The mayor said he will continue working to find a solution that will meet both the village’s short and long-term needs.
“We’ve gained another construction season to find something,” he added.
Also of concern for the fire department, according to volunteer fireman and steering committee member Kim Nichols, is the planned use of the apron in front of the fire station as a staging area for construction materials and equipment.
While the department can use the rear bay access, he said, their activities would be hindered by traffic congestion around the Oxford Middle School.
“We’re going to be running into school buses queuing (and) parents dropping off and picking up kids,” Nichols explained, adding that the engineering firm handling the project would need to find a way to mitigate the problem.
“Delta (Engineering) is going to have to come up with a traffic control plan,” he said.
“At least it’s not something we’re under the gun to do,” said Stark, who agreed that Delta were the ones who would need to “grapple” with the issue.
The mayor will present the committee’s update to the village’s board of trustees at the village’s monthly board meeting, scheduled for 7:30 this evening at the Oxford Village Hall.