Adams Basin canal liftbridge
out of service until November 3

Area residents grow accustomed to travel delays caused by Erie Canal liftbridges being raised for boat traffic to pass. But if you live, travel through, go to church, or use business services in the hamlet of Adams Basin in Ogden, you’ll have a long wait for the Route 36 (Washington Street) canal bridge to be lowered from its current raised status.

An inspection of the bridge April 30 by NYS Thruway/Canal Corporation, the NYS Department of Transportation, engineering firm Bergmann Associates and their subcontractor, Fisher Associates, revealed that operating components of the liftbridge at Adams Basin were deteriorated to point where its use caused safety concerns. New York State Canal Corporation Public Affairs representative Terry O’Brien said in a phone interview last week that primary concerns involved stress on the shaft bearings. A press release from the office stated, “Operation of the bridge in its present condition could cause sudden failure of the operating shaft bearings resulting in possible property damage or injury to boaters, pedestrians and/or Canal Corporation staff. The bridge is currently supported in the raised position by a temporary frame.”

The bridge will remain in the raised position for the remainder of the canal travel season -- until November 3 -- when it will be lowered and vehicular traffic allowed to once again traverse the canal via Route 36.

Although the NYS Department of Transportation, which maintains the State Route 36, and the Canal Corporation, which supervises canal operation, will confer on rehabilitation, such a project is not scheduled to be let for bid until 2005.

Temporary repairs to make the 89-year-old bridge operational are not feasible, according to Canal Corporation representatives.

O’Brien said various departments will study the repairs needed to the structure, and, the project would be added to the list of canal and NY Thruway bridges, since the Canal Corporation is a subsidiary of the NYS Thruway Authority. The project could move up on the schedule, O’Brien said.

In November, the bridge will reopen to traffic at the same four (4) ton weight restriction. A few years ago when the weight limit was reduced, bars were placed across the bridge to limit the height, and thereby the weight, of vehicles, particularly trucks, crossing the span. A letter to the editor from the Spencerport Fire Department addresses concerns raised by residents in and around the Adams Basin community about emergency vehicle access because of the bridge situation. In essence, the department representatives assured residents that alternative routes provide adequate access to the area. Indeed, the weight restriction on the now disabled bridge did not permit heavy firefighting equipment to cross the canal at Adams Basin (see page 4 this week.)

Ogden Supervisor Gay Lenhard said the bridge closure has caused residents to look for access to Route 531 other than Route 36 (Washington Street). Many have chosen to travel Canal Road to Route 259, then through Spencerport village to the expressway ramp. “That’s something we don’t really need is more traffic on Route 259 at peak travel times,” she said in a phone interview last week. The town supervisory noted that a lot of money has gone into economic development along the canal but that it’s clear that money also has to be appropriated for structure maintenance.

Adams Basin services such as the post office, located just north of the bridge, report reduced business, Lenhard said. Since the viability of a post office is largely determined by its volume, a facility which is less accessible could have adverse effects on assessments over the long term. Lenhard has contacted state representatives Assemblyman Charlie Nesbitt and Senator George Maziarz about the situation. Maziarz said he would arrange a meeting with town leaders and Thruway Authority/Canal Corporation representatives so the impact of the bridge’s closure for half a year at a time for the next several years could have on the surrounding area economically and socially.

The posted detour is Brockport-Spencerport Road (Route 31), Sweden Walker Road (Route 260) and Ridge Road (Route 104).