Boat trailer caught on guard rail ties up traffic at Point Breeze
Photos by Tom Rivers
Lyons Collision in Medina, Carlton firefighters and local police work to reopen Route 98 at the Bridges this morning after a boat trailer got snagged in a guard rail by one of the bridges.
CARLTON Since the bridge over the Oak Orchard River was closed in December 2011, Sharon Narburgh has worried traffic to Point Breeze could be cut off if anything happened to the other bridge on Route 98 leading to the Point.
Narburgh’s fear became a reality this morning. A truck pulling a boat on a trailer created a two-hour bottleneck near Narburgh’s store, Narby’s Superette and Tackle.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was making a right hand turn on 98. The driver didn’t make a wide enough turn and the boat trailer was snagged in a guard rail. An axle on the trailer broke. The truck and trailer were stuck on 98, cutting off traffic in both directions.
“This happens a lot,” Narburgh said about the bottleneck. “The state knows this is a bad situation.”
Narburgh and Orleans County officials want the smaller Oak Orchard River bridge to be reopened. But that will take money. The state hasn’t approved funding for the small span.
The County Legislature last week approved a contract to pay Ramsey Contractors of Lakeville $15,000 to remove the small bridge. Once it’s gone, the county and state Department of Transportation can better inspect the site to look at bridge options for the site.
The bridge over Oak Orchard River, one of the bridges at Point Breeze, has been closed since last year. The County Legislature last week approved a bid to remove the bridge.
Lining up the money to pay for the project is another issue.
Narburgh bemoaned the situation on Tuesday.
“We just won the ‘Ultimate Fishing Town’ and people can’t get down here,” she said. “It’s costing me money. It’s costing all of us money.”
Lyons Collision in Medina freed the truck and trailer. Carlton firefighters and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department also responded to the scene.
