Court Street bridge repairs about to begin

Sep. 9—WATERTOWN — The same construction company that built the Court Street bridge 29 years ago will soon start working on major repairs of the steel structure.

A construction crew from Tioga Construction, Herkimer, will use jackhammers to remove concrete and then put a new deck on the bridge over the Black River.

The same foreman who was on the job in 1993 will also work on these repairs, said Thomas M. Maurer, an engineer in the city engineering office.

The city and the contractor held a pre-construction meeting on Thursday to discuss the project.

"They want to get moving on the project, so we might see work on it next week," Mr. Maurer said.

The $7 million project encompasses rehabilitating the bridge and milling and repaving the section of Coffeen Street from Massey Street to the city limits, and a section of Massey Street from Clinton Street to the bridge.

The current bridge replaced the original concrete structure in 1993. It will be the first time that the deck will be repaved since this bridge was built.

The project should be completed by the end of next year.

The members of Advantage Watertown, a group of community and business leaders who meet monthly to talk about city issues, got a progress report about the project on Thursday.

"That's a significant project," said Jason White, chair of Advantage Watertown.

The project also includes making about 80 ramps in the project footprint compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Fisher and Associates designed the project.

First introduced in 2017, the Court Street bridge/Massey Street/Coffeen Street project was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is now progressing while another city project is well underway.

The city's $3.6 million streetscape project began in July. The members of Advantage Watertown also got an update on that project, which includes streetscape improvements on Court Street, the 200 blocks of Coffeen and Franklin streets, and the area on Washington Street that surrounds the Gov. Roswell P. Flower Monument.

With installation of sidewalks and curbing nearly complete, construction on the Franklin Street component is most furthest along, said Michael A. Lumbis, the city's planning and community development director.

The streetscape project involves widening sidewalks, enhancing crosswalks, improving lighting and planting new trees. The work along Court Street includes reverse-angled parking. Lachenauer Plaza, at Court Street and Public Square, is also getting a complete makeover.

The goal of the $3.6 million project is to increase pedestrian comfort and safety and create a more walkable environment downtown, acting as a catalyst for increased commercial activity and furthering the revitalization of downtown.

Court Street improvements are just beginning but the contractor, CCI Construction, Canastota, should be doing more work there soon, Mr. Lumbis said.

"They're progressing," he said.

The streetscape project is slated to be finished in June.

"There's a lot of work going on," Mr. White said.