Grant to pay for bridge work in Nassau
NASSAU, N. Y. » A $ 1.1 million state grant will help the town to rebuild the deteriorating Murdock Road Bridge.
Town Supervisor David Fleming said the project is the only one of its size in Rensselaer County to receive funding through the BRIDGE NY program included in the state budget and the second largest grant awarded in the Capital Region. Fleming said the town will cover the remaining cost for the nearly $ 1.2 million dollar project.
“It is a bridge on a dead- end road, where obviously there isn’t a lot of traffic, but it’s extremely important to the residents that live there,” said Fleming. “It’s located within the village of East Nassau, but the town under state law is responsible for bridges throughout the town, even if they are in the village.”
The BRIDGE NY program is administered by the state Department of Transportation and emphasizes projects that address poor structural conditions, mitigate weight restrictions or long detours, facilitate economic development or increase competitiveness or reduce the risk of flooding. Projects are selected for funding through a competitive process that evaluates the resiliency of each structure, current conditions and the significance and importance of the bridge, including traffic volume, detour considerations, the number and types of businesses served and the impact on commerce.
Fleming said the bridge has had problems throughout the years and that it was important to secure funding in a grant for it.
“There are some deck problems with the bridge, as well as the embankments and concrete walls that hold up the bridge,” said Fleming.
Town officials are especially pleased the grant will allow themto replace the bridge at little direct cost to town taxpayers.
“Budgetwise, it’s extremely difficult to do this kind of project,” said Fleming. “The $ 1.2 million represents almost our entire highway budget for a replacement, so this is a huge grant for us. It’s a bridge that really needs to be repaired because it’s extremely important to those residents on that road.”
Fleming said town officials recently signed contracts for the project and retained an engineering firm to get ready for staging and prep work this fall. Officials expect the work to take about two years to complete.