With the original bridge over Salmon Creek on Route 34B in Lansing now fully removed, contractors are making steady progress on the construction of the replacement.
“This is the second largest federally funded transportation project in the county’s history,” said Fernando de Aragón, Staff Director, Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council. The “Octopus” along Rt. 13 in downtown Ithaca, completed in the 1990s, was the largest.
The original three-span, steel arch bridge, built in 1930, handled roughly 7,700 vehicles per day. The new bridge is designed to last 75 years.
“The project is moving along, on time and on budget,” said Curtis Jetter, New York State Department of Transportation (NYS DOT) spokesman. “They are currently working on bridge abutments on both sides of the ravine.” Abutments are the substructures at each end that support the overall bridge.
The previous bridge was deconstructed as much as possible, then pulled down using cranes. Although the original permit allowed demolition using explosives, that did not turn out to be necessary, Jetter said. NYS DOT tweeted a video of the final take-down (https://twitter.com/NYSDOTSyracuse/status/1359593635101171713?s=20).
The $16.5 million contract was awarded to Tioga Construction Company of Herkimer, NY in October 2020, with an estimated completion date of January 2022. Funding is provided by both federal and New York sources. No local highway funds are required. The contract is being managed by DOT Region 3, based in Syracuse.
According to DOT documents, the old bridge was in an advanced state of deterioration. “The bridge needed work. Over the last few years, it’s been closed down repeatedly,” said de Aragón. “It was never really unsafe, but the state flagged it and knew they really needed to fix it and not just bandage it.”
The bridge plan calls for multiple steps, including removing and demolishing the existing bridge, tree clearing (to allow for switchback roads to reach Salmon Creek), and pier construction. This is followed by bridge construction, utility relocation, and highway reconstruction. Some new trees and shrubs will be planted in the area. The contract calls for frequent contact with NYS Department of Environmental Conservation for stream access and inspection during construction.
“The bridge lanes will be wider to allow safe access for pedestrians and cyclists,” Jetter said. As part of the project, flashing beacons will be installed on Route 34B at the pedestrian crossing closer to the school.
De Aragón’s agency was involved in the planning stages and setting detours. Now that the project is underway, he meets monthly with DOT.
“DOT was very good about getting federal funding,” said de Aragón. “They recognized we needed resources beyond the regular process.” As a comparison, the Ithaca’s council five-year program is roughly $34 million, so the bridge project would have taken half of the area’s five year infrastructure budget. “They were able to fund it from outside, which is great,” de Aragón shared. He said that the state is good about inspecting infrastructure, which allows them to plan ahead.
The official detour route, as outlined in DOT documents, calls for traffic to use NY Route 34 (Auburn Road) and Route 90. Observations by local residents in the Myers and Ludlowville neighborhoods confirm that both areas are experiencing a significant traffic load.
Gay Nicholson, writing on behalf of the Ludlowville Community Association, requested that the Tompkins County Highway Department install two digital speed displays at the approaches to the hamlet. Similar speed displays have also been installed by the county along Myers Road.
“I have definitely seen an increase in speeding cars coming through our 25-mph zone,” said Nicholson.
“People drive too fast,” said Claes Nyberg, who has a house on Myers Road near the bridge construction. “Our family has not been able to walk our usual route due to the speeding traffic,” he said.
The Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office confirmed they have fielded concerns from Lansing residents about trucks, traffic and speeding. According to Lieutenant Kyle Koskinen, the Sheriff’s Office has jurisdiction along with NY State Police. “For large truck issues, we’ve partnered with the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit through the state police,” said Koskinen. “Part of the problem is that residents are not used to that volume of traffic,” he said.
Aside from the increase and speed of traffic, residents generally agree the bridge construction is proceeding smoothly. “They don’t work on weekends and have regular weekday hours,” said Nyberg. “I can’t complain really.”
The Link LonkMarch 19, 2021 at 04:00PM
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Salmon Creek Bridge work progresses, but speeding traffic raises concern - ithaca.com
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