Old Manchester railroad bridge to be replaced
By CRAIG FOX/Finger Lakes Times, Tuesday, February 6, 2007
MANCHESTER - The old railroad bridge over Route 21 will finally be coming
down this summer.
Ontario County Public Works Commissioner Bill Wright said Monday that the
more than 70-year-old bridge, which acts as a barrier between the villages
of Manchester and Shortsville, will be torn down and replaced with a gated
railroad crossing.
The $2 million to $3 million project has been in the works for about seven
years and needs approval from an administrative judge and the state
Department of Transportation because of its ties to railroad use, Wright
said.
"We had to justify the project and show why it's needed," he said.
The bridge, near Lehigh Road and Red Jacket High School, is used by the
Ontario Central Railroad about three times a week, Wright said.
However, it's become a safety hazard because of crumbling cement walls and
other structural problems, Wright said, adding that extensive repairs would
be needed.
The bridge - a subject of graffiti for years - is also dangerous because
pedestrians don't like to use the sidewalks underneath it because they are
dark, so they cross over the tracks, he said.
With the elimination of the bridge, a railroad crossing and switching yard
would be built at South Avenue. As part of its approval, the "at-grade"
Route 21 railroad crossing also will require trains to move at a slower
speed so they will be able to stop if needed, Wright said.
The crossing will feature a gate to stop cars, flashing lights and
pedestrian gates.
The project will be paid for with 80 percent federal funding, 15 percent
state funding and the rest by the county. Bids will go out in February.
Construction would start in June and be completed by the end of the work
season.
Manchester Town Supervisor Bill Eddinger said the elimination of the
railroad bridge will allow some nearby land to open for economic
development.
Manchester Mayor Nancy Johnsen said that the entrance to the village will
change without the bridge being there.
"Certainly, the entrance to the village will have a new look, which I think
will be an attractive one," she said. "It could be called an eyesore."
By CRAIG FOX/Finger Lakes Times, Tuesday, February 6, 2007
MANCHESTER - The old railroad bridge over Route 21 will finally be coming
down this summer.
Ontario County Public Works Commissioner Bill Wright said Monday that the
more than 70-year-old bridge, which acts as a barrier between the villages
of Manchester and Shortsville, will be torn down and replaced with a gated
railroad crossing.
The $2 million to $3 million project has been in the works for about seven
years and needs approval from an administrative judge and the state
Department of Transportation because of its ties to railroad use, Wright
said.
"We had to justify the project and show why it's needed," he said.
The bridge, near Lehigh Road and Red Jacket High School, is used by the
Ontario Central Railroad about three times a week, Wright said.
However, it's become a safety hazard because of crumbling cement walls and
other structural problems, Wright said, adding that extensive repairs would
be needed.
The bridge - a subject of graffiti for years - is also dangerous because
pedestrians don't like to use the sidewalks underneath it because they are
dark, so they cross over the tracks, he said.
With the elimination of the bridge, a railroad crossing and switching yard
would be built at South Avenue. As part of its approval, the "at-grade"
Route 21 railroad crossing also will require trains to move at a slower
speed so they will be able to stop if needed, Wright said.
The crossing will feature a gate to stop cars, flashing lights and
pedestrian gates.
The project will be paid for with 80 percent federal funding, 15 percent
state funding and the rest by the county. Bids will go out in February.
Construction would start in June and be completed by the end of the work
season.
Manchester Town Supervisor Bill Eddinger said the elimination of the
railroad bridge will allow some nearby land to open for economic
development.
Manchester Mayor Nancy Johnsen said that the entrance to the village will
change without the bridge being there.
"Certainly, the entrance to the village will have a new look, which I think
will be an attractive one," she said. "It could be called an eyesore."
