Phoenicia span repairable
The damage from Tropical Storms Irene and Lee initially was thought to be too great.
The Bridge Street bridge in Phoenicia (left), badly damaged during Tropical Storms Irene and Lee last summer, can be fixed after all and could reopen by early July, Ulster County Executive Michael Hein says.
PHOENICIA — The Bridge Street bridge, badly damaged during Tropical Storms Irene and Lee last summer, can be fixed after all and could reopen by early July, Ulster County Executive Michael Hein announced on Friday.
The bridge, one of two entrances to Phoenicia from state Route 28, originally was thought to be damaged beyond repair.
Hein, in a press release, said the firm Peak Engineering made the determination that the bridge can be saved, and he said the work probably will be done by county crews.
“I fully recognize the importance of this bridge to the business district and the citizens of Phoenicia,” Hein said. “Its reopening will be another important step toward the county’s overall recovery from Irene. Though there is an extensive amount of work to be done on the Bridge Street Bridge, we look forward to celebrating its reopening by July 4th.”
Robert Stanley, the supervisor in the town of Shandaken, of which Phoenicia is a part, said he was “ecstatic to hear” the bridge can be fixed.
“This bridge is important to the Phoenicia economy,” Stanley said in a prepared statement. “We look forward to a rejuvenated summer season” as a result of the repair.
“I could not have heard better news,” said Dave Pillard, owner of the store Tender Land Home in Phoenicia, also in a prepared statement. “Fixing this bridge is not just about convenience. It is critical to the economy of our community.”