Gloversville to begin Hill Street bridge repairs
By RODNEY MINOR, The Leader-HeraldArticle Photos
GLOVERSVILLE - The city is going to repair the Hill Street bridge before the state can close it down.
At a special meeting Thursday, the Common Council unanimously authorized the repair of the bridge located near National Grid's service center. The city will spend up to $25,000 to have the emergency repairs done.
Department of Public Works Director Robert Abel said over the last seven years the state Department of Transportation has flagged the bridge a few times for not meeting its standards.
Over the years the bridge was not repaired, its state rating kept going lower. It is now down to a rating of 19, out of a possible 100, Abel said. At one time the bridge was certified to handle 16-ton vehicles, but its deficiencies have dropped the maximum weight it can handle down to five tons.
"Now DOT is threatening to close it down," he said. "If the repairs are not done, the bridge will be closed."
To get the repairs completed as quickly as possible, Abel contacted the county and had representatives from R & B Construction, from the Fulton County emergency repair contractor list, take a look at the bridge to see when they could get the work done.
Mark Yost, the Fulton County superintendent of Highways and Facilities, said the county takes annual bids for emergency work every year. The low bidder in each category is chosen to serve as the emergency contractor for work that has to be done as soon as possible. Yost said state law allows the rates to be extended to the towns and cities in the county, so they also can get needed work done quickly without having to use the bidding process.
The company is doing a project in the area, he said, and can get workers over to Hill Street to get the structural repair work started on the bridge Wednesday.
The repairs will take about two weeks to complete.
While the repairs are being done, Hill Street will be a single lane, according to information from DPW.
Drivers on South Kingsboro Avenue will have to take a detour in order to get to South Main Street. Drivers traveling on South Main Street will still be able to directly get to South Kingsboro Ave.
Drivers will be able to come up South Boulevard and go to South Kingsboro Avenue, but not toward South Main Street.
The repairs are meant to be temporary, and are expected to last a few years. That will allow the city time to get federal funds to help pay for the cost to replace the bridge, Yost said. If the project is found eligible, up to 80 percent of the cost will be covered.
Abel said doing the repairs will not hurt the city's chances of getting federal dollars.
The Hill Street bridge is in the second ward, and 2nd Ward Councilman John V. Castiglione said he is concerned that some of the trucks that currently go over the bridge might weigh too much.
Mayor Tim Hughes said the city Police Department knows oversize vehicles do use the bridge, and the patrol officers are keeping an eye on the size of the vehicles that drive across the bridge.
Abel said he expects the temporary repairs will keep the maximum weight that can go across the bridge at 5 tons.
Finance Commissioner Bruce Van Genderen said the exact details of how the budget will be modified to pay for the work will be available at the Common Council meeting Tuesday.
Rodney Minor covers Gloversville news. He can be reached at gloversville@leaderherald.com.
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TheArchitect
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09-06-08 11:42 AM
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It is nice to know that the decision makers in Gloversville have been letting us drive over an unsafe bridge for at least 7 years. Thankfully, the state came in and drew a line in the sand. Fix the bridge or it will be closed. This is what it takes for the City to own up to its responsiblity. The real question is how many other bridges are at or near this condition. Somebody has to die around here in order for anything to happen. At least there was leftover money from the street sweeper purchase for the Mayor to have a new car, but nothing to fix a bridge that is ready to collapse. How comforting.
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RWEHVNGFUNYET
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09-06-08 10:17 AM
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This must be the Hill Street Blues
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