NYSDOT Announces Completion of Emergency Replacement of Route 32 Bridge in Greene County

Structure Washed out in Flooding, New One Built in Two Months

ALBANY, NY (11/03/2011)(readMedia)-- New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Joan McDonald today announced completion of the replacement bridge project on Route 32 over the Kaaterskill Creek in Palenville, Greene County. The former bridge was washed away by flood waters following Tropical Storm Irene in August and the emergency replacement project was completed in approximately two months. The work is part of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's ongoing efforts to restore mobility to storm-impacted communities across the state.

"I'm proud of the extraordinary efforts by DOT crews and emergency contractors charged with quickly restoring New York's infrastructure damaged by the floods," Commissioner McDonald said. "Restoring mobility through Greene County is vitally important to residents and many small businesses in a region whose economy often depends on tourism and the ability to get people from one place to another."

NYSDOT completed the $1.1 million bridge replacement project in part by reusing precast concrete and steel segments from a bridge in the Capital Region that itself is being replaced. Traditional construction, even performed in an expedited manner, would have resulted in the bridge being closed to traffic until next spring.

Restoring the infrastructure quickly will return commuting time for motorists and emergency responders to a normal duration and will bolster local businesses affected by the closure and subsequent seven-mile detour. Opening the bridge this fall also saved a quarter million dollars on construction costs that NYSDOT would have incurred by a longer project duration spanning the cold winter months.

The pre-cast concrete and steel segments that make up the bridge structure were part of a bridge carrying Route 9P over Interstate 87 in Saratoga County in the 1990s.

The new Route 32 bridge, which is expected to last at least 50 years, carries an average of 3,500 vehicles per day. It was built with stronger foundations, and embankments were armored with large stones to protect against future washouts.