Twenty-three of Chenango’s bridges deemed structurally deficient
OXFORD – The mighty Chenango rose perilously close under State Street Bridge in Oxford last Thursday, a bridge that has been deemed structurally deficient by the federal highway administration for years.
Chenango County was lucky that neither Hurricane Irene nor the remnants of tropical storm Lee took out the village’s main artery or many other bridges for that matter.
Only four bridges were closed as the waters rose late last week, including the Hogsback Road Bridge that spans the Chenango River in Greene, the state Rt. 23 bridge over Unadilla River in New Berlin, and Brooksbank at Cousins roads and Buckley Hollow Road bridges, both in Oxford.
Prior to Irene, the Federal Highway Administration had already identified 354 structurally deficient bridges in the Southern Tier, including 23 in Chenango County. Heavier trucks and overdue maintenance is to blame, according to U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, D-NY, who, in a press call last week, said Irene had destroyed 15 bridges in upstate New York and pushed many that were already structurally deficient into even greater disrepair.
“This was a dire classification before the storm, meaning they were in serious condition. Now they’re in intensive care,” he said following a seven-county tour of Irene damaged and drenched homes, businesses and transportation infrastructure in New York.
The Senator is urging Congress to quickly extend a transportation construction bill that is due to expire Sept. 30. The normally routine extension, it would be the eighth since the bill expired in 2009, would authorize Congress to collect the federal gas tax for surface highway construction. Based on U.S. Department of Transportation data, it could mean $3 billion for ongoing projects and tens of thousands of jobs in New York State.
“The strength of New York’s economy and livelihood rides on the condition of our bridges. It’s a major element of our state’s economy, business can’t stay open, workers can’t get to work,” Schumer said.
On Friday, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved a short-term extension of the highway bill. The House is expected to approve a version of it shortly.
Public Works Director Randy Gibbon said the federal highway administration considers measures multiple facets of bridges when studying them for deficiencies, and portions of them that may or may not pass doesn’t necessarily mean a bridge is unsafe.
Nonetheless, the following bridges are categorized as structurally deficient:
New York State bridges
Rt. 7 over Kelsey Brook in Afton, Rt. 8 over White Store Creek in Norwich, Rt. 8 over Great Brook in New Berlin, Rt. 12 over Genegantslet Creek Relief in Greene; Rt. 12 over Bowman Creek in Oxford, Rt. 23 over Canasawacta Creek in Plymouth, Rt. 26 over Otselic River in Otselic, Rt. 41 over Cornell Creek in Afton, Rt. 41 over Pond Brook in Smithville, Rt. 206 over Kelsey Creek and an unnamed creek in Bainbridge, Rt. 220 over Red Brook in Smithville, Rt. 220 over Strong Brook in Smithville, and Rt. 235 over Trib Wylie Brook in Coventry.
Town bridge
Ives Settlement Road Bridge over Guilford Creek, 2.9 miles southeast of Guilford Center.
Chenango County bridges
Mendenhall Road over Wylie Brook 4.1 miles south of Coventry; County Road 32 over Glen Road Brook 5.8 miles south of Oxford; Joe Hoben Road over Mill Brook a mile west of Oxford; Tamarac Road over Fly Meadow Creek on Bliven Road; Butts-Wms Corner Road over Unadilla River .5 miles east of Earlville; Ditch Road over Unadilla River .5 miles east of Holmesville; Tucker Road over Ludlow Creek, 7 miles southeast of McDonough and the State Street over the Chenango River in Oxford.
Chenango County was lucky that neither Hurricane Irene nor the remnants of tropical storm Lee took out the village’s main artery or many other bridges for that matter.
Only four bridges were closed as the waters rose late last week, including the Hogsback Road Bridge that spans the Chenango River in Greene, the state Rt. 23 bridge over Unadilla River in New Berlin, and Brooksbank at Cousins roads and Buckley Hollow Road bridges, both in Oxford.
Prior to Irene, the Federal Highway Administration had already identified 354 structurally deficient bridges in the Southern Tier, including 23 in Chenango County. Heavier trucks and overdue maintenance is to blame, according to U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, D-NY, who, in a press call last week, said Irene had destroyed 15 bridges in upstate New York and pushed many that were already structurally deficient into even greater disrepair.
“This was a dire classification before the storm, meaning they were in serious condition. Now they’re in intensive care,” he said following a seven-county tour of Irene damaged and drenched homes, businesses and transportation infrastructure in New York.
The Senator is urging Congress to quickly extend a transportation construction bill that is due to expire Sept. 30. The normally routine extension, it would be the eighth since the bill expired in 2009, would authorize Congress to collect the federal gas tax for surface highway construction. Based on U.S. Department of Transportation data, it could mean $3 billion for ongoing projects and tens of thousands of jobs in New York State.
“The strength of New York’s economy and livelihood rides on the condition of our bridges. It’s a major element of our state’s economy, business can’t stay open, workers can’t get to work,” Schumer said.
On Friday, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved a short-term extension of the highway bill. The House is expected to approve a version of it shortly.
Public Works Director Randy Gibbon said the federal highway administration considers measures multiple facets of bridges when studying them for deficiencies, and portions of them that may or may not pass doesn’t necessarily mean a bridge is unsafe.
Nonetheless, the following bridges are categorized as structurally deficient:
New York State bridges
Rt. 7 over Kelsey Brook in Afton, Rt. 8 over White Store Creek in Norwich, Rt. 8 over Great Brook in New Berlin, Rt. 12 over Genegantslet Creek Relief in Greene; Rt. 12 over Bowman Creek in Oxford, Rt. 23 over Canasawacta Creek in Plymouth, Rt. 26 over Otselic River in Otselic, Rt. 41 over Cornell Creek in Afton, Rt. 41 over Pond Brook in Smithville, Rt. 206 over Kelsey Creek and an unnamed creek in Bainbridge, Rt. 220 over Red Brook in Smithville, Rt. 220 over Strong Brook in Smithville, and Rt. 235 over Trib Wylie Brook in Coventry.
Town bridge
Ives Settlement Road Bridge over Guilford Creek, 2.9 miles southeast of Guilford Center.
Chenango County bridges
Mendenhall Road over Wylie Brook 4.1 miles south of Coventry; County Road 32 over Glen Road Brook 5.8 miles south of Oxford; Joe Hoben Road over Mill Brook a mile west of Oxford; Tamarac Road over Fly Meadow Creek on Bliven Road; Butts-Wms Corner Road over Unadilla River .5 miles east of Earlville; Ditch Road over Unadilla River .5 miles east of Holmesville; Tucker Road over Ludlow Creek, 7 miles southeast of McDonough and the State Street over the Chenango River in Oxford.
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