Construction plans are in the works for the Oak Street Bridge after the City of Schenectady gets state and federal funding. As our Erin Vannella found out, city residents say construction can't start soon enough.
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – A decades old bridge is due to get a face lift. The Oak Street Bridge in Schenectady will finally get repaired after the city received federal and state funding.
The bridge was closed by the city in April after an annual inspection by the Department of Transportation. As a result, some residents in the area say they're concerned about things like the fire department being able to access their homes in case of an emergency.
City officials say they're working to alleviate that problem.
"We did analyze those things even before the bridge was closed to try to figure out what would be the quickest way and the most efficient way to access those areas," said Schenectady Fire Chief Michael DellaRocco.
Construction on the new bridge is set to begin in 2015.
Oak Street Bridge condition worse than feared Tuesday, May 28, 2013 By Kathleen Moore (Contact) Gazette Reporter Text Size: A | A The Oak Street Bridge might be closed for years, Mayor Gary McCarthy said Tuesday, a month after he ordered an emergency closure...
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Several transportation projects in the City are on the region ’s Draft Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for 2005-2010. The TIP, developed by the Capital District Transportation Co mmittee, allocates limited federal highway and transit dollars expected for the region during the period. TIP projects are sele cted and prioritized from among the entire region’s proposed a nd desired transportation projects through an exhaustive evaluation and discussion process. Projects on the most recent Draft TIP that involve Schenectady include:
• Planning and design phases for replacing the Route 7 bridge over I-890 just over the border in the Town of Rotterdam. • Culvert repair on sections of I-890. • Design and reconstruction of Erie Boulevard from Liberty Street (NY5) to I-890. This includes redesign of the road with signal, drainage, curbs, sidewalks, parking, median and intersection treatments and streetscaping. • Rehabilitation of approximately 1.5 miles of the existing multiuse trail from Jay Street to the Town of Niskayuna border. This project will be administered by the Ne w York State Canal Corporation. • Reconstruction of Route 7 from I-890 to NY5, and resurfacing of Route 7 from NY5 to Saint David’s Lane in the Town of Niskayuna. • Design and facilities work for the Inte rmodal Transportation Center at the site of the current Amtrak station. • Replacement of the Oak Street Bridge over the CSX railroad tracks. This bridge links the Bellevue and Mont Pleasant neighborhoods. • Provision of a second railroad track between Schenectady and Re nsselaer to improve freight and passenger rail efficiency in this corridor. This project has been under discussion for seve ral years but remains on hold as negotiations continue between the involved parties. • Investments through the Capital District Tr ansportation Authority toward implementatio n of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Service on Route 5 between Schenectady and Albany.
The projects that have been funded through the current Transp ortation Improvement Program will help the City of Schenectady to address necessary maintenance on some critical roadway infr astructure. Some of the selected project will also allow the community to move forward with important re vitalization, alternative transportation, an d quality of life initiatives. However, limited funding remains the primary obstacle to accomplishing most of the necessary and desired tr ansportation improvements in the City and its varied neighborhoods
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Mayor Gary McCarthy Announces The closing of the Oak Street Bridge
SCHENECTADY – Mayor Gary McCarthy today announced that the Oak Street bridge will be closed. This bridge, which was built in the 1930’s, carries Oak Street over Amtrak Rail Road and a small creek. It is a very unique bridge that has provided an important link between the Mont Pleasant and Bellevue sections of the City. Over this long period, the bridge has undergone repairs and improvements which included replacement of the deck about twenty years ago.
During recent inspections, which were provided to the City by the NYS Department of Transportation, deterioration in the steel piers which support the deck had been noted. Based on the most recent 2012 NYSDOT inspection, the bridge was cited with a “red flag” for structural deficiencies. The responsible agency for the areas where the deterioration was noted is AMTRAK and they were notified by the NYSDOT of the deterioration and the red flag. All red flag notifications require action in the near future.
If left unattended, this situation represents an advancing deterioration state which would ultimately present a significant risk to the safe operation of the bridge. After reviewing the situation and all NYSDOT information with my engineering personnel in the City, I have decided that the bridge must be closed. The bridge will therefore be closed to all vehicular traffic on Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Until further notice, the bridge will remain open to pedestrian traffic at this time.
Schenectady City Director of Operations William J. Winkler, PE will be available to answer technical questions.
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...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Plans to repair Oak Street Bridge By: Erin Vannella 08/09/2013 09:44 PM S Albany/HV: Plans to repair Oak Street Bridge
Construction plans are in the works for the Oak Street Bridge after the City of Schenectady gets state and federal funding. As our Erin Vannella found out, city residents say construction can't start soon enough.
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – A decades old bridge is due to get a face lift. The Oak Street Bridge in Schenectady will finally get repaired after the city received federal and state funding.
The bridge was closed by the city in April after an annual inspection by the Department of Transportation. As a result, some residents in the area say they're concerned about things like the fire department being able to access their homes in case of an emergency.
City officials say they're working to alleviate that problem.
"We did analyze those things even before the bridge was closed to try to figure out what would be the quickest way and the most efficient way to access those areas," said Schenectady Fire Chief Michael DellaRocco.
Construction on the new bridge is set to begin in 2015.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
LOCAL NEWS SCHENECTADY : Bridge condition worse than feared; railroads passing buck BY KATHLEEN MOORE GAZETTE REPORTER The Oak Street Bridge might be closed for years, Mayor Gary Mc-Carthy said Tuesday, a month after he ordered an emergency closure. The severity of the situation is just being discovered now. McCarthy said the bridge might need to be entirely replaced — a process that could take three years and cost millions of dollars. The railroad whose tracks run below the bridge is responsible for its maintenance, but CSX and Amtrak are arguing over which entity must foot the bill. An email to the city from the state Department of Transportation said that the DOT had notifi ed Amtrak that the bridge needs repair due to its badly deteriorated steel piers. Amtrak’s response, according to the email, was that it was CSX’s responsibility. So the DOT notifi ed CSX. “They said it is now Amtrak’s responsibility,” the DOT email said. City Director of Operations William Winkler added that he sees this regularly when property involves the railroads. “Just determining who’s responsible will take a lot of legal work,” he said. McCarthy said he could not wait for the railroads to come to a conclusion on the matter. “Their trains move fast but their administration moves slow,” he said. So he is trying to get a grant to cover the cost of studying the bridge, which was built in 1937. He wants to know what can be done to repair it and whether it must be replaced. “Is it a $1 million job? Is it a $5 million job?” McCarthy said. “We’re just looking at different options at this point.” Once he knows all of the options — and their cost — he plans to apply for state or federal funding. “The optimum becomes the city might have to pay 5 percent,” the mayor said. At the same time, city offi cials will negotiate with the railroad for funding, he said. Winkler added that the city simply can’t afford the project on its own. “We don’t have the money to replace that structure. If we did, we’d probably replace it and settle our legal issues with the railroad later,” he said. “But that’s out of the question.” Under normal circumstances, the city would have to pay for some of the work if the bridge had to be replaced. Winkler said he would expect the railroad to pay for the bridge supports — the legs and base area — while the city would pay for the area on which people walk and drive. “It’s a shared responsibility,” he said. “Technically, that’s the way it should be. But the railroad seems to not accept that.” Even if McCarthy can get answers soon, it looks like the bridge could be closed for years. If the bridge must be replaced, designing a new bridge could take a year. Then contractors will demolish the old one and build a new one. “It could be a two- or three-year project,” he said. The bridge was widely used by a neighborhood that is cut off on two sides by railroad tracks. Now, traffic sometimes backs up for many blocks as those residents take a mile-long detour to get to the rest of the city. Winkler said he’s heard many complaints. “I can understand the frustration,” he said, describing the bridge as a “vital link” to the Bellevue neighborhood. “But indigestion from traffic is better than risking safety going across that bridge.”
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
The 1970 passage of the Federal Rail Passenger Service Act created Amtrak, formally known as the National Railroad Passenger Corporation. Amtrak was directed to operate two classes of service: a network required under federal law (usually long-distance trains) and service for sponsoring states that are willing to subsidize a portion of the operating and capital costs. New York State was one of the first to subsidize this type of additional service.
Since 1978, New York State has subsidized Amtrak's operation of the Adirondack, the train that makes the 380-mile trip between New York City (Penn Station) and Montreal (Central Station) in about 9.5 hours. The route segment subsidized by the State extends 220 miles between Schenectady and Montreal; it serves stations at Albany-Rensselaer (Rensselaer County), Schenectady (Schenectady County), Saratoga Springs (Saratoga County), Fort Edward (Washington County), Whitehall (Washington County), Ticonderoga (Essex County), Port Henry (Essex County), Westport-Lake Placid (Essex County), Port Kent (Essex County), Plattsburgh (Clinton County), and Rouses Point (Clinton County). South of Albany-Rensselaer, the train stops at Hudson (Columbia County), Rhinecliff (Dutchess County), Poughkeepsie (Dutchess County), Croton-Harmon (Westchester County), Yonkers (Westchester County), and Penn Station (Manhattan, New York County).
Besides the Ethan Allen Express, sponsored by Vermont, other nearby state-supported Amtrak services include the Vermonter, between New York City and St. Albans (also supported by Vermont); Keystone Service, between Philadelphia and Harrisburg (supported by Pennsylvania); and the Downeaster, between Boston and Brunswick (supported by Maine).
Under a recent federal law, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA, Public Law No. 110-432, Division B), among numerous other significant provisions, states will now have to pay a portion of the costs (both operating and capital) of providing passenger service along certain Amtrak corridors (Section 209). In New York, this will include most Empire Service trains. The target date for this new and/or increased state financial responsibility for providing intrastate intercity passenger rail service is within 5 years of the enactment of PRIIA. Since PRIIA was enacted on October 16, 2008; Section 209 will go into effect no later than October 16, 2013.
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New York State Tourism Site (http://www.iloveny.com/)The preceeding external link opens a new browser window Montreal Tourism Site (www.tourism-montreal.org)The preceeding external link opens a new browser window Olympic Regional Development Authority (www.orda.org)The preceeding external link opens a new browser window Saratoga Performing Arts Center (www.spac.org)The preceeding external link opens a new browser window Adirondack North Country Association (www.adirondack.org)The preceeding external link opens a new browser window Lake Champlain Ferries (www.ferries.com)The preceeding external link opens a new browser window Lake Champlain Bikeways (www.champlainbikeways.org)The preceeding external link opens a new browser window Champlain Shores in the Adirondacks-Visitors and Convention Bureau (www.goadirondack.com)The preceeding external link opens a new browser window New York Bicycling Coalition (www.nybc.net)The preceeding external link opens a new browser window New York State Canal System (www.nyscanals.gov/)The preceeding external link opens a new browser window The Depot Theatre (www.depottheatre.org)The preceeding external link opens a new browser window
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Amtrak has reached agreement with CSX Corp. to lease roughly 100 miles of the Empire Corridor between Poughkeepsie and Schenectady, N.Y., to take effect early next year. Amtrak will assume responsibility for operations, maintenance, and capital improvements on the right-of-way.
A CSX spokesman said the agreement would enable Amtrak to enhance service on the route between Albany/Rennselaer and New York City, while "ensuring vital freight rail service in the area." Most CSX traffic between metropolitan New York and upstate moves on CSX’s main line west of the Hudson River."
Amtrak Vice President, Policy and Development Stephen Gardner said, "Amtrak is very pleased to be partnering with CSX and New York State to bring about this historic change for the Hudson Line Rail Corridor.†He added, "This arrangement will enable all parties to move forward on implementing almost $200 million in high speed rail projects along the line which will lead to faster, more frequent and more reliable service. These improvements will help make the rail line an even more valuable transportation asset for all of New York's citizens.â€
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Status: Open, no restriction [A] Average daily traffic: 5,363 [as of 1997] Truck traffic: 5% of total traffic Deck condition: Satisfactory [6 out of 9] Superstructure condition: Fair [5 out of 9] Substructure condition: Fair [5 out of 9] Channel protection: Bank protection is in need of minor repairs. River control devices and embankment protection have a little minor damage. Banks and/or channel have minor amounts of drift. [7] Scour condition: Bridge foundations determined to be stable for the assessed or calculated scour condition. [8] Operating rating: 58.9 tons [53.5 metric tons] Inventory rating: 38.8 tons [35.3 metric tons] Sufficiency rating: 69.9 Recommended work: Bridge rehabilitation because of general structure deterioration or inadequate strength. [35] Estimated cost of work: $2,921,000
2010 Inspection
Status: Open, no restriction [A] Average daily traffic: 4,899 [as of 2009] Truck traffic: 7% of total traffic Deck condition: Satisfactory [6 out of 9] Superstructure condition: Poor [4 out of 9] Substructure condition: Poor [4 out of 9] Channel protection: Bank is beginning to slump. River control devices and embankment protection have widespread minor damage. There is minor stream bed movement evident. Debris is restricting the channel slightly. [6] Scour condition: Bridge foundations determined to be stable for the assessed or calculated scour condition. [8] Operating rating: 42.9 tons [39.0 metric tons] Inventory rating: 28.9 tons [26.3 metric tons] Evaluation: Structurally deficient [1] Sufficiency rating: 46.3 Recommended work: Replacement of bridge or other structure because of substandard load carrying capacity or substantial bridge roadway geometry. [31] Estimated cost of work: $5,612,000
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Just forget the Oak St bridge. Let it fall down on the trains. Then they might accept some responsibility.
Here is the new plan:
1. Go to maps.google.com and enter the following latitude/longitude: 42.789433,-73.947163
2. Zoom in a bit and you will see Sportsman's Bowl and Power Pallet sitting 300 feet apart.
3. Make a new road that starts between the Crane St under/over bridges, drop in a couple of culvert piping tubes and connect Crane St to either Consaulus Ave or Mervin which turns into Westside.
The abandoned Power Pallet building wouldn't mind. You could even demolish it and put the road straight to Westside.
No train tracks, no bridges, just the bypass that everyone wants back.
Most people that used the Oak St bridge went either up Cheltingham to the city or cut back up to Westside to go to Rotterdam.
I hereby name this project the Altamont Ave traffic congestion bypass project.
I also hereby name the road the Altamont Avenue Bypass.
Just forget the Oak St bridge. Let it fall down on the trains. Then they might accept some responsibility.
Here is the new plan:
1. Go to maps.google.com and enter the following latitude/longitude: 42.789433,-73.947163
2. Zoom in a bit and you will see Sportsman's Bowl and Power Pallet sitting 300 feet apart.
3. Make a new road that starts between the Crane St under/over bridges, drop in a couple of culvert piping tubes and connect Crane St to either Consaulus Ave or Mervin which turns into Westside.
The abandoned Power Pallet building wouldn't mind. You could even demolish it and put the road straight to Westside.
No train tracks, no bridges, just the bypass that everyone wants back.
Most people that used the Oak St bridge went either up Cheltingham to the city or cut back up to Westside to go to Rotterdam.
I hereby name this project the Altamont Ave traffic congestion bypass project.
I also hereby name the road the Altamont Avenue Bypass.
the town and city planning depts should be shakin in their shoes
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