Erie County Executive Chris Collins and Public Works Commissioner Jerry Sentz announced that bridges on Cemetery and Pavement roads in Lancaster will soon be replaced. There are four bridges in total, with two on each road. All of the bridges have been flagged for safety concerns numerous times in the past. In light of those concerns, the county has been working to secure funding for these projects as quickly as possible.
The two Cemetery Road bridges went out to bid Thursday, April 14. The project will cost an estimated $6 million, with 80 percent being paid by the federal government, 15 percent by the state, and 5 percent by Erie County. The two bridges will be demolished and replaced. The road will be closed, with a detour in place, while construction is underway.
The first Cemetery Road Bridge, over Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks and Erie Street, was built in 1936 to replace an at-grade railroad crossing. There have been numerous inspection flags on the structure in recent years, but none serious enough to close the bridge. Lancaster School District has been detouring school buses around the bridge, which is a major inconvenience to the district. A new 105-foot steel girder bridge will replace the current structure.
The second bridge on Cemetery Road, over the north branch of Plum Bottom Creek, was built in 1923. Inspectors found safety concerns on the span on several occasions in recent years. The concerns were addressed and the bridge remained open. A new 20-foot concrete box culvert will replace the current bridge.
“I am happy we were able to put the funding in place for these important bridge projects in Lancaster. This upcoming construction highlights my administration’s focus on infrastructure maintenance and repair work. Any time safety concerns are raised with county bridges, we work to secure funding for repair or replacement as quickly as we can,” said Collins.
“I have been working in cooperation with the county executive and public works engineers to move these projects forward and was pleased to learn that these overdue projects will be repaired now,” remarked Erie County Legislator, District 5, Dino Fudoli. “Due to the size and scope of the work, repairs to these bridges will generate many jobs. This is great news for the residents of the Town of Lancaster.”
The two bridges on Pavement Road will go out to bid Thursday, April 28. The project will cost an estimated $2.8 million, with 80 percent being paid by the federal government, 15 percent by the state, and 5 percent by Erie County. The road will be closed, with a detour in place, while construction is underway.
Both bridges on Pavement Road were built in 1962 by the New York Central Railroad. They have received several “red flag” warnings in recent years. While not cause for bridge closure, red flags indicate issues which require immediate repair. The 159-foot steel beam bridge over the CSX Railroad will be replaced with a 68-foot concrete box beam structure. The other 129-foot bridge over abandoned railroad tracks will be eliminated. Crews will use compacted earth fill to come up to the road level and then pave to continue the roadway.
The estimated contract completion date of the projects on Cemetery and Pavement roads is
November 30, 2012.
“I know many citizens in Lancaster have anxiously been awaiting these projects,” said Sentz. “I’d like to thank design consultants Erdman Anthony and Urban Engineers for getting us ready to take these projects out to bid.”
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