The bridge over Rt. 213 in Marbletown ended not with a whimper, but with a bang.
The 275-foot, three-span structure over Route 213 was demolished today with explosives placed on the structure to fracture the steel trusses. It’s being replaced with a new, single-span 230-foot structural steel bridge with a reinforced concrete deck and abutments founded on piles, according to a release from the governor’s office.
Work on the new $12.4 million bridge includes the removal of the existing superstructure and substructure; replacement of the existing structures with new foundations, substructures, superstructure and approach slabs; and other approach work. Sidewalks will be built to safely accommodate pedestrians traveling from the bridge to view the nearby waterfall. Work on the bridge and its closure began earlier this month.
Prior to today’s demolition, the bridge decking was removed, limiting the amount of dust and debris that could fall into the creek. The bridge will remain closed with a detour in place while the bridge undergoes reconstruction. It is expected to be open to traffic by this summer.
Governor Andrew Cuomo was onsite today for the demolition. He said the state has surpassed the halfway mark in its $542 million Empire Bridge program, which is replacing 100 aging, vulnerable, and out-of-date structures across the state. The remaining 47 bridges are under construction or are scheduled to begin work shortly.
“We’re taking an important step toward building a stronger future with new, state-of-the-art bridges to replace the aging and vulnerable structures along our network,” Cuomo said. “For too long state government was unwilling to take on ambitious projects – opting instead to make repairs which amounted to nothing more than temporary fixes to reoccurring problems. The Empire Bridge program and every infrastructure project we take on shows that New York is getting things done, and building our future for future generations to come.”
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