Photo credit: Times of Wayne County (NY)The new Canandaigua Road bridge over the Erie Canal in Macedon, New York, opened October 1, the Times of Wayne County reports.
The new steel bridge is supported by two piers and features two 11-foot travel lanes with 4-foot shoulders on each side and a 5-foot concrete sidewalk on the west side that connects the Erie Canalway Trail with the Marina Parkway.
Ornamental railings replicate the angled crossbeams on the original 104-year-old, one-lane truss bridge. The old structure was carefully dismantled in an effort to preserve its historic components, which are being stored for reuse at another location in the future.
The bridge will accommodate approximately 5,000 vehicles a day, and will make it easier for water craft traveling the Erie Canal to pass beneath. The $4.3 million project is part of the state’s record $21.1 billion investment in roads and bridges, primarily in Upstate New York.
“New York continues to lead by investing in key infrastructure and ensuring that our transportation system meets the needs of the 21st century,” Governor Cuomo told the news agency. “This new bridge literally reunites the community and will help improve traffic flow and bolster commerce across this span, as well as along the Erie canal below it.”
New York State Department of Transportation commissioner Matthew J. Driscoll told the news agency, “This modern new bridge is safer for motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and boaters and improves access across the canal and to a nearby campground, park, and marina.”
“I am very pleased that the project to rebuild the Canandaigua Road Bridge project is completed and restoring a vital north/south roadway in the Town of Macedon,” Macedon Town Supervisor Sandy Pagano told the news agency. “The care in preserving the original bridge, moving it to a secure location, is testimony to the importance of our heritage. I would like to commend our Town Engineer Scott Allen and the Macedon Town Highway Superintendent Chris Countryman for working closely with NYS Department of Transportation, Canal Corp, CSX, Economy Paving, and the Wayne County Highway Department.”
