A BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE?

Mike McCagg ccSCOOP News It’s rusted and some contend dangerous, yet it seems nobody has the funds necessary to make the repairs to a critical link between the City of Hudson and its waterfront. The Ferry Street bridge, which goes over the railroad tracks at the foot of Allen Street, connecting Front Street with the boat launch and Hudson's waterfront park, is in need of repair—if not replacement—but neither the City nor CSX has the funds necessary to make the repairs. Mayor Rick Scalera recently made a pitch to state officials charged with distributing the federal stimulus funds to distribute some of that money to Hudson to replace the bridge.

Two other Hudsonsians—First Ward Supervisor John Musall and Basilica Industria owner Patrick Doyle—say the bridge plays a pivotal role in the city and must be replaced if the long-awaited Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan (LWRP) is to come to fruition.

“It’s insane to me to contemplate any waterfront expansion without that bridge,” said Doyle.

“It is my feeling that the bridge is essential to waterfront development, a view shared by everyone I've spoken to,” said Supervisor Musall.

In all seasons, it is rare when there's not a car approaching or crossing the bridge. People drive across to access the boat launch, to go the power boat club, to visit waterfront park, or just to check out the river. A favorite pastime for many area residents is to park in the boat launch parking lot and sit in the car watching the river flow by. Last June, Musall, Scalera, and others from City Hall inspected the bridge with an engineer from CSX. The inspection found several wooden planks to be rotted and steel beams under the bridge to be severely rusted. The rotted wood has since been replaced, but because CSX determined that the rusted beams were not load bearing, they were not placed.

The bridge has been assigned a five-ton weight limit, which prohibits trucks and, of greatest concern, fire trucks from crossing. Scalera said he does not know why a five-ton limit was assigned to the bridge when the more typical limit is 15 tons.

Musall and Doyle would like the City to make finding funding for bridge replacement a priority.

“CSX Regional Chief Engineer Halsey Brown estimated last spring that replacement would cost around $1.5 million. . . . It is doubtful that the city could find such an amount within its budget in the foreseeable future,” said Musall.

Scalera said the engineer was not overly concerned with the state of the bridge, even though he noted the rusted I-beams. “The gentleman was very, very much management-oriented and defensive of CSX,” he said, noting CSX was even reluctant to replace the wood on the bridge's deck.

Meanwhile, Scalera said he has sent letters to no avail to U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-New York) and State Senator Steve Saland (R-Poughkeepsie) seeking funds.

Many municipalities have found that CSX will not fund bridge replacement projects, leaving the city or town to search for funds within its budget or seek state and federal aid. Chatham, for example, has been attempting for years to replace two bridges—one on White Bridge Road and the other on Albany Turnpike in East Chatham. State and federal funds have been allocated for all but $125,000 of the estimated $2 million for the White Mills Road project, but those funds have been delayed by federal officials several times. To date, no funding source has been found for the $3.4 million Albany Turnpike project.

Musall said he is hopeful that the Ferry Street bridge replacement would receive federal stimulus funds. “President Obama's stimulus plan offers some possible funding. A bridge replacement would be a boon to our economy, not to mention other obvious benefits to the city and county,” he said. “But the competition for these funds promises to be lively.”  

Doyle said the bridge replacement is not only an economic necessity, but also a matter of health and safety. Because of those concerns, Doyle has argued, so far without success, to have the bridge replacement be included in the City's LWRP.   “That bridge is an essential piece of infrastructure of the city and has been for decades,” said Doyle. “You only have two means of access to the waterfront—the bridge and the Broad Street crossing. What happens if the crossing is blocked by an idling train? What happens if you need to get fire trucks down to the waterfront, and you can’t get across the railroad crossing?” Doyle asked, noting that large trucks exceed the bridge’s weight limit.