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At its meeting on Tuesday, the Common Council passed a resolution allocating $30,000 for a feasibility study on replacing the Ferry Street Bridge and authorizing the mayor to "solicit for and enter into a contract" for such a study.
On Thursday, at the Economic Development Committee meeting, Council president Don Moore instructed Bill Roehr of TGW Consultants, the group that is retained by the City and Hudson Development Corporation to identify potential grant funding and prepare grant applications, to focus all efforts on finding funding for the bridge. Alderman John Friedman (Third Ward), however, declared, "We need emergency funding tout de suite." He went on to say, "We can't wait for the grant cycle--it's too political." Friedman seemed to think one of the sources of funding might be Columbia County, implying the the County had money available for such things when he observed, "Bridges throughout the county get fixed"--overlooking the bridges in Columbia County that have been closed rather than repaired.
It is expected that a new bridge over the railroad tracks to the riverfront will cost $2 million--"more," Moore opined, "if we want it to have any character." In the past, Moore has spoken of the possibility of retaining or replicating the more visible parts of the 1905 bridge, the historic significance of which rates 7 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Haddad stressed the urgency of the situation by saying, "The moment this [feasibility] study comes in, we have to fast-track it." He then expressed a different concern: "The more attention we bring to this bridge, we may end up with it closed."
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The county doesn't have money to restore bridges! In Claverack alone there are 4 closed bridges. Webb Road Bridge has probably been closed for maybe 5-6 years? Yates Ave Bridge probably shut for 2 years now? Millbrook Bridge also a couple of years. And the Shaw Bridge has been closed forever as far as I can remember. Shaw Bridge is the only extant double-span Whipple bowstring truss bridge in the U.S. and probably the entire world. It has been on The National Register of Historic Places since 1980 and neither the county nor the Federal Gov't can find the money to restore it. What a country to let a place on the National Register just rot away all these years.
ReplyDeleteMonies for wars but not National Treasures!
EXACTLY, Marty.
DeleteThe US has been going in the wrong direction for a long time.
And $15 million spent on a "shovel ready" water treatment plant that leaks!!!
ReplyDeleteThe third street extension (RR) overpass handles much (heavier) traffic and is in even worse shape.
ReplyDeleteYet the county hired Calarusso to build a bridge with ramps for cty rte 16 that is so big it belongs on the thruway!
ReplyDeleteThe money could have simply fixed Thurman Road Bridge with enough left over to repair another one.