GREENPORT – The Columbia County Department of Public Works will be starting construction on several new county bridges and large culverts and performing major repair work this year, with most work beginning in late May or early June. These bridge replacement projects are all being funded completely with local Columbia County tax dollars. These new bridge structures are being constructed in order to replace their existing functionally obsolete and structurally deficient 75+-year old counterparts, many of which were built several years prior to World War II.
The county will fund and construct three new bridges and one large culvert, and perform a major repair of a fifth bridge during this upcoming construction season.
In the Town of Canaan, the county large culvert #37/1.52, carrying county Route 24 over Indian Creek, just west of Stonewall Road, will be replaced by a new bridge to be built by Wm. J. Keller & Sons Construction Corp. of Castleton. The existing structure and Route 24 in the general vicinity of the culvert will be closed to all traffic for the approximate 4 to 5 month construction period. Traffic will be detoured over Route 24, county Route 9, state Route 203, state Route 22 and county Route 5.
The deficient and aging Dinehart Bridge, carrying county Route 7A over the Roeliff Jansen Kill in the Town of Copake, located between the hamlets of Copake and West Copake, will also be replaced by project contractor Wm. J. Keller & Sons Construction Corp. This bridge and a portion of Route 7A will be closed to all traffic for the anticipated 5 to 6 month duration of the bridge replacement work. A posted detour will be in place for County Rte. 7A traffic to utilize while the bridge is replaced, which routes traffic over other sections of Route 7A (Center Hill Road) and county Route 7.
In the Town of Hillsdale, the structurally deficient bridge carrying county Route 21 over a tributary to the Roeliff Jansen Kill, locally known as Dean Bridge, will be replaced with a new bridge. The bridge site and Route 21 in the vicinity of the project site will be closed to all traffic during the 4 to 5 month anticipated new bridge construction period. All traffic will utilize the posted detour that will be established over Route 21, Route 7, state Route 203 and state Route 22.
County large culvert #13/7.209, which carries county Route 19 over a tributary to the Klein Kill in the Town of Livingston, will also be replaced during the 2016 summer/fall construction season. This 80+ year old small bridge will be replaced with a new structure with construction beginning later this year. This project will require the closure of Route 19 in the area of the project during this 4 to 5 month construction project and all local traffic will be directed to use a posted detour that will be established over Route 19, US Route 9 and Route 8.
Finally, the DPW will be performing major bridge repair work on the Nelson Elephant Farm Bridge, carrying Harlemville Road over a tributary to the North Creek in the Town of Ghent. This repair project will likely commence later this spring and is anticipated to take 3 to 4 weeks to complete. The work will require the complete closure of the bridge and Harlemville Road traffic will be directed to use a posted detour over Harlemville Road, county Route 21C, state Route 217, Route 9, state Route 66 and Water Street.