Bridge work over the Wallkill River in Rifton on Route 32 North. (photo by Lauren Thomas)
Expect traffic backups at the Wallkill River Bridge over Route 32 in Rifton. Work to repair and repaint the bridge will last a couple months, according to the state Department of Transportation. “Work on this bridge started recently. It’s not going to be completed until about the end of December,” said Carol Breen, a DOT spokesperson.
Right now, that crossing has a temporary traffic light. But that should come down in about five weeks.
“The rest of the work after that will be just the sides, where it won’t impact traffic that much,” Breen added, noting that they were “repairing some steel and repainting the bridge.”
Repainting the bridge will help prevent rust from forming on the structure.
Rifton’s Wallkill bridge isn’t alone. It’s included in a $6.7 million state project that is repairing a total of six bridges. Federal money is paying for 80 percent of that. New York State is picking up the remaining 20 percent.
Either way, the work will probably slow down travel for people between Rosendale and New Paltz.
“Since there are temporary signals there, it might take a little longer to get through,” said Breen. “We haven’t been seeing any significant delays, but people should definitely be aware of the project. It may put a few extra minutes into their travel time.”
DOT did a great job on the Gardiner bridge with minimal delays, but their junk is still left behind several weeks after completion.
I thought they were installing permanent traffic lights at the most dangerous intersection in Ulster County, not just painting the bridge.