Nearly $5 million in state funds coming to Orleans for 4 bridge/culvert projects

File photo by Tom Rivers: The Phipps Road culvert over Otter Creek has been closed to traffic since Sept. 9, 2022. State funding will allow the Town of Albion to move forward with a replacement.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 July 2023 at 8:33 pm

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced more than $516 million in state “Bridge NY” funding to rehabilitate and replace bridges and culverts around the state, including four projects in Orleans County totaling $4.82 million in state dollars.

The projects in Orleans include:

$1.295 million to Orleans County for the replacement of the Route 279 bridge over Beardsley Creek.
$1.535 million to Orleans County for the replacement of the Groth Road bridge over East Branch Sandy Creek.
$952,000 to Orleans County for the replacement of the Eagle Harbor Road culvert carrying the tributary to Otter Creek.
$1.038 million to the Town of Albion for the replacement of the Phipps Road culvert carrying the tributary to Otter Creek, Orleans County.

The Phipps Road culvert in Albion was closed last Sept. 9 after an inspection showed the steel high-beam supports were rotted. The culvert spans 19 feet over Otter Creek.

Albion applied for Bridge NY funding for the Phipps Road culvert in 2016 and 2018 but was denied. Once the culvert was closed to traffic, Albion officials believed that gave Albion more points in the grant application.

Hochul in announcing the Bridge NY funds today said the projects will help local governments across the state harden their existing infrastructure while boosting the resiliency of bridges and culverts in the state.

“New York State is making historic investments to modernize our infrastructure and we are committed to working with our partners in local government to help ensure that their bridges and culverts are ready to meet the challenges of global climate change,” Hochul said. “The Bridge NY program provides essential funding directly to local governments to enhance the safety, resiliency, sustainability and reliability of local infrastructure, allowing more than 140 bridges to better withstand extreme weather events and keep New Yorkers safe.”