Some Herkimer County bridges flagged last year still need attention as municipalities are faced with how to fund the repairs.
Alice Romanych, regional public information officer for the state Department of Transportation, said it is difficult to generalize the progress that municipalities have made, but assured traveling on bridges were safe.
“A bridge is not open if it is unsafe,” she said. “New York state has one of the most stringent bridge inspection programs in the country. We exceed the standards that the Federal Highway Administration mandates.”
Romanych said many factors go into flagging a bridge based on the kind of bridge it is and the volume of traffic it has.
In March 2009, the state Department of Transportation flagged 69 bridges in Herkimer County as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. One of the bridges included with that list was the West Main Street bridge over Moyer Creek in Frankfort. Mayor Frank Moracco said they are looking into getting the funds needed for the repairs.
“It splits the village in half,” he said. “We want to make sure that bridge is taken care of.”
Moracco said the village is currently working on getting estimates from engineers about how much the repairs would cost. The 76-year-old bridge has scouring, or when water eats away at the foundation. Money was put into repairs in 2006, so Moracco said he was frustrated when he learned that more repairs were needed.
“We’re trying to find out if there’s funding out there with the state or federal government with that type of project,” said Moracco. He said the price tag for these bridge projects are more than municipalities can afford. He met with Rep. Michael Arcuri in January to look at funding options, but was told it was not a priority since it was not red flagged.
The Board of Public Works in Little Falls reduced the weight limit on the South Ann Street bridge — also flagged last year — to five tons last month. At the monthly meeting of the board, Rodney St. Louis, board vice president, said the move is aimed at stretching the life-span of the bridge until funds can be obtained for a repair project, which is estimated to cost $800,000. City officials have been pursuing various grants for the repair project, or even a full replacement that is estimated to cost $2.5 million, but attempts have been unsuccessful to date.
The bridge, meanwhile, has been yellow or red flagged by the DOT seven times, citing the worsening condition of the structure and its need for repair or replacement.
Romanych said she did not have any specific numbers on flags that are currently active in the six-county DOT region. Bridge inspections are done every two years. If there is a concern with a particular bridge, it is inspected once a year. Or, if there is an emergency, like the bridge in Dolgeville that caused ice jams two weeks ago, inspectors go to the site immediately to determine the level of safety.
“Within our six county region, there are no bridges that require ‘prompt’ action and no others that are of concern at this time,” said Romanych in an e-mail.
She said just because a bridge is yellow-flagged, it does not mean it will deteriorate into a red flag status. Also, she said there are two types of red flags — one that requires action in 24 hours or a routine red flag that requires some type of action plan within six weeks of the notification.
Romanych said getting the needed work done on bridges depends on what the funding capabilities are for the municipalities.
“There is federal and state money available for bridge repair and replacement,” she said. “The budget is tough and priorities need to be determined and it is based on available funding.”
Visible chunks are missing from the Philip Street bridge that crosses over Steele Creek in Ilion. The bridge serves as the connection for students and staff who attend Ilion Junior-Senior High School.
“You can’t put a dollar figure on the safety of the children at the school,” said German Flatts Town Supervisor Frank Spatto.
Spatto said the town is “aggressively” looking for either state or federal grants for the project. He said they hope to build a new bridge on Frederick Street that would also meet today’s safety standards. Spatto said he and Ilion Central School Superintendent Cosimo Tangorra also met with Arcuri last Monday to discuss funding options.
Spatto said the town — who owns the bridge — is working with the school to get the project done. The town is also working with the village of Ilion — who owns the road — about what they can do to help.
Herkimer County Highway Superintendent Jay Ewanyk said the majority of the 67 bridges owned by the county are in good to excellent condition. He said only a small percentage of them would be considered functionally obsolete, meaning while the structure is sound, it does not meet today’s standards.
There 482 state bridges in the six-county region according to state DOT Web site.