No decision on Brockport's Smith Street bridge

No decision on Brockport's Smith Street bridge

The fate of the Smith Street bridge in the Village of Brockport is still up in the air. "We asked the DOT to give us specific answers to our questions before we can make a decision on what we are going to do with the bridge," Mayor Mort Wexler said at the December 4 board meeting. "We know there are concerns in the northwest quadrant of the village on what's going to happen with the bridge and we will let you know when we hear from the DOT."

The bridge was closed by the New York State Department of Transportation in June when an inspection revealed additional, rapid deterioration of the steel since the bridge was posted for a maximum of three tons last season. The bridge remains open to pedestrian traffic.

There had been prior discussion that the bridge could be rehabilitated by the DOT, but following repairs, ownership of the bridge would revert to the village. The expected lifespan, once repairs are made, is 50 to 70 years. Village officials have been trying to gather information to make a decision on whether to keep the bridge closed or push for repairs and eventual ownership of the span.

According to a DOT survey, close to 1,400 vehicles used the Smith Street bridge on a daily basis.

"We still need to know whether we have to take control of the bridge once it's refurbished," Wexler said.

Trustee Carrie Maziarz, who, along with Trustee Hanny Heyen have been talking to other municipalities who had been faced with the same decision, said the response received by the village from the DOT was ambiguous at best. "One of the municipalities we visited, which had taken over the bridge once it was rehabbed, had no documentation on that," she said.

Heyen agreed that there was "nothing of substance" in the letter. Trustee Connie Castaneda said the most disappointing part of the correspondence was that if the village had considered taking over the bridge that there was a possibility it could be repaired more quickly. "It doesn't appear that would be the case, though."

In other matters:

Village officials presented Patricia Trek a certificate for her 30 years of service with the library. "There is nothing better than having a common thread at the library and we have that with Patricia Trek," Heyen said.
Village officials recognized the library for its 70th year anniversary. Wexler said that when the library opened in 1936 it had 860 registered patrons. It now has 12,000 registered patrons.
The village's Main Street Rehabilitation Committee will hold its first meeting at the village hall on December 13 at 7 p.m.
An update on the village's weekend holiday events including the tree lighting ceremony, candlelight walk and Santa train ride were a success and drew large crowds.