With work on the Union Street/Route 259 lift bridge over the Erie Canal in the Village of Spencerport looming on the horizon – possibly in 2016 – local leaders are hopeful work can be done on another span in the town so that it will be up to par when the Route 259 bridge cannot be used.
The Gillett Road bridge over the Erie Canal is posted for 8 tons, meaning large trucks and vehicles like school buses cannot use it to cross the canal.
Spencerport Fire Chief Doug Case says local leaders are worried about what will happen when the Route 259 bridge is repaired, if the Gillett Road bridge still has the 8 ton limit. He says Town Supervisor Gay Lenhard wrote a letter to the NYS Department of Transportation in February, expressing concern over the situation. The DOT responded that the letter is on file and that officials understand the concerns of local leaders, but there has been no word on when work might take place, Case explains.
Chief Case says the school district, fire department, village and town are together in their desire to be pro-active regarding the situation, but as of yet, have not been able to make a unified effort simply because, “… it is hard getting the time to try and push the DOT, so they understand where we are coming from. We are all on the same page,” he says of community leaders and their concern over the need for infrastructure upgrades.
Lori Maher of the New York State DOT Regional Office tells the Suburban News/The Herald: “We are analyzing the structure to come up with a design that will increase the current 8 ton posting while considering service life, posted weight limits, travel impacts during construction and overall expense,” she says regarding the Gillett Road bridge. “Once we make a decision, we will finish the design plans and either have a contractor or our bridge maintenance shop perform the repairs. We also have to coordinate with the Canal Corp. to occupy the waterway during the summer months.”
Maher says when more details are available, the DOT will make an announcement.
The Spencerport Fire Department and school buses can use the Route 259 bridge in the village, although the weight limit on that span was reduced to 12 tons late last year.
At that time, Chief Case noted, “there are seven bridges across the canal in the (fire) district and only two or three have (weight) levels we can use.” The Martha Street bridge is posted for 18 tons. School district officials also told the Suburban News/The Herald earlier this year that if improvements are not made to the Gillett Road bridge and the Route 259 bridge also cannot be used, it could cause significant strain to the district’s transportation system.
