Engineers present plan to replace critical Allegany County bridge. Here's what to know
Design specialists have released tentative replacement plans for a key bridge project in northern Allegany County.
LaBella Associates will outline its engineering proposal for the new county Road 26 bridge in Belfast on May 22 during an information session in the Belfast Municipal Building.
Allegany County and Town of Belfast officials will also be in attendance at the meeting.
When Belfast bridge will be replaced
Once plans are approved by the New York state Department of Transportation, a bid packet will be released in the fall and construction is expected to begin in late spring or early summer 2024, officials closely involved with the project told the Evening Tribune.
Those officials forecast a fall 2024 opening date for the bridge, which takes motorists from one side of the Genesee River to the other.
The old county Road 26 bridge was closed on Feb. 4, 2022 following a DOT safety inspection of its components and structural elements.
During that same month, New York state committed $8.6 million for an expedited bridge replacement.
Why the county Road 26 bridge in Belfast is important
The bridge, which was constructed in 1974, is the only river crossing within nearly a dozen miles. When open, approximately 1,000 vehicles pass over the span each day, according to the Allegany County Department of Public Works.
The closure has impacted the routing of police, fire and emergency services, significantly altered school transportation plans and created a substantial detour for commuter and business traffic, both county and town officials said.
With the previous bridge now removed, traffic is being maintained using an off-site detour.
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Preliminary plans for new county Route 26 bridge
The project objective, according to design engineers, is to "restore the bridge condition rating to 5 or greater, for at least 75 years" utilizing the most cost effective methods and minimizing maintenance and repair expenses.
Plans call for a three-span continuous steel multi-girder structure, supported on concrete abutments. The previous bridge had a two-span design.
"We like the three span option because it eliminates a center pier," said Thomas H. Windus, superintendent of the Allegany County Department of Public Works. "Any time you have an obstruction within a waterway there is a potential to have flood debris collect on it. If we can eliminate this obstruction in the middle of the flow, it eliminates the issue from happening."
The new bridge is slated to be 326 feet in length, slightly lengthier than the old bridge which was 288 feet long.
"The reason we needed to lengthen the bridge is due to the instability of the west bank," Windus explained. "This was the cause of the old bridge abutment failing and we wanted to make sure the new bridge wouldn’t end up the same way.
The width will be the same as before, with two, 11-foot lanes for traffic, according to the engineering plan.
Like the previous bridge, there are no plans for sidewalks. Pedestrians will be accommodated on the shoulders.
What's on tap for the May 22 public meeting
The session will take place starting at 6 p.m. in the Belfast Municipal Building on Merson Avenue.
There will be a short presentation on the project, followed by a question and answer period.
Neal Simon on Twitter @HornellTribNeal. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Belfast bridge replacement plan taking shape: What happens next
