Mayor says Depew, NY, overpasses are unsafe

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Mayor says Depew overpasses are unsafe
by Jason Gruenauer
6:23 PM, Jul 2, 2015

DEPEW, N.Y. (WKBW) - Four bridges. Four issues in Depew, at least according to the mayor of the village. So what should be done about the railroad overpasses over Transit Road?

"Kathy Hochul came through here and she said driving through Transit Road in that stretch is like being in a third world country," Mayor Jesse Nikonowicz said.

The Mayor of Depew did not hold back when talking about four overpasses over Transit Road. The main complaint is safety. The bridges are cracked, the steel exposed, with concrete pieces crumbling and covering the ground.

"What's it going to take? A big train accident or a big personal injury accident or fatality before someone gets motivated to get something done," the mayor said.

The two middle bridges are no longer used and there have been calls to widen the four lane stretch to ease traffic. But the mayor says its also an issue of economic development...

I can see why they want to expand Transit Rd. I avoid it at all cost. But thats going to cost a bundle to rip out those bridges and replace them. Lets see, who's gonna pay? CSX, NS, Depew, Erie County, New York State or you and me.

I haven't gone under those bridges in a long time so I don't have any idea of what shape they are in. Sure hope they are better than CP Draw.

So, the mayor is taking the word of a random person who may or may not have ever been to a third world country rather then the village's engineers?

We had a similar situation regarding the CSX bridge over Rt 96 in Pittsford, NY.

Some of the locals thought the bridge was in horrible shape and dangerous, then the mayor got involved, the newspaper printed a story, but in the end, the two engineers hired by the town to provide advice regarding this bridge both concluded that the bridge was safe. http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.ph ... d#p1287963" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Naturally, I don't know if the same conclusion applies to the bridges in Depew ... but after the Pittsford case, I would not put any credence in the complaints of townspeople or the mayor, I think the only opinion I'd believe is from a qualified engineer.

Maybe the poor guy is just plain bored and wants to see his name in the newspapers.
Noel Weaver

From North to South aren't those bridges:

CSX

former LV, vacant

former DL&W, now GVT, and actually still in use

former Erie, now NS

?

It's an industrial area with a junkyard, a concrete plant and some other stuff in there, but the road is still 4 lanes. Looks like a steam engine a bit east of the GVT bridge, too (that Pennsy 2-10-0?) -


I wouldn't put too much stock into a mayor who doesn't even know whether a bridge is being used or not.

[quote="lvrr325" Looks like a steam engine a bit east of the GVT bridge, too (that Pennsy 2-10-0?) -


I wouldn't put too much stock into a mayor who doesn't even know whether a bridge is being used or not.[/quote]

The steam locomotive mentioned here is, I believe, a CPR 4-6-2 in the 2300 series and has been there for a long time. I remember it from my working days to Buffalo and I have 17 plus years from retirement as I type this.
Noel Weaver

SST wrote:I can see why they want to expand Transit Rd. I avoid it at all cost. But thats going to cost a bundle to rip out those bridges and replace them. Lets see, who's gonna pay? CSX, NS, Depew, Erie County, New York State or you and me.

I haven't gone under those bridges in a long time so I don't have any idea of what shape they are in. Sure hope they are better than CP Draw.

Widen Transit Road? It already has 4 lanes.

I do agree with you on the cost. it probably will hit the taxpayers, especially for the LV and GVT bridges.

The steam locomotive is on the end of this track: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/358465138" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I can understand the point about upgrading the area. It is the only stretch of Transit Rd without a center turn lane ( although there is really no where to turn to), the lanes are very narrow, and it is the one stretch of Transit where the speed limit drops to 30. Being the whole stretch is below grade, there is little area to plow snow into, especially if you want to keep the sidewalks clear. Yeah that would be expensive, and I think Depew PD loves the 30 mph limit as a cash generator if you know what I mean

If some local yokel mayor wants to replace/remove bridges that turn out to be perfectly fine, I see no problem with the local tax payers paying for it. Elect people who can make valid decisions or face the consequences.

MarkT wrote:I can understand the point about upgrading the area. It is the only stretch of Transit Rd without a center turn lane ( although there is really no where to turn to), the lanes are very narrow, and it is the one stretch of Transit where the speed limit drops to 30. Being the whole stretch is below grade, there is little area to plow snow into, especially if you want to keep the sidewalks clear. Yeah that would be expensive, and I think Depew PD loves the 30 mph limit as a cash generator if you know what I mean

I've driven and biked through this section in Depew. There's no need to replace them in a hurry, because they aren't crumbling to death.

The second problem is in eminent domain. There are businesses on the north side of the CSX/Amtrak/NYC bridge approaching Walden Avenue (NY 952Q). There is an electrical substation that is just north of the NS/Erie bridge and south of that there is more businesses.

Finally, it's four lanes all the way down to NY 130 and beyond. If this section is quote en quote bad, why is the section from NY 130/US 20 to Gould Avenue good?

What's the over/under on the time before the obligatory Chuck Schumer appearance?

(ducking)

umtrr-author wrote:What's the over/under on the time before the obligatory Chuck Schumer appearance?

(ducking)

Under 2 weeks for nevershutuppolitician.

What's the over/under on the time before the obligatory Chuck Schumer appearance?

Chuck is busy trying to ban the transportation of liquid fuels above (or below) ground.

No pipelines, no tank cars, NO OIL FOR YOU......

Cheers, Kevin