November 12, 2009

Route 13 bridge replacement in 2011-12

I was wondering what the big electronic signs on Route 13 near Fall Creek that said:

RTE 13
BRIDGE
REPL MTG

VARNA
COMM CTR
NOV 17

6:30 PM
INFO 315
428-4345

would mean for life on Route 366. I tried calling the number, for the New York State Department of Transportation, this afternoon, but they open and close early. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long to get all the details, as Jan Morgan of the Varna Community Association sent this PDF out. Here are the key parts about what'll be coming:

The proposed project will involve replacement of the existing bridge on Route 13. The new bridge will be on an adjacent alignment just southwest of the existing bridge. The project will include resurfacing and reconstruction of the highway approaches, drainage improvements, guide rail replacement, and minor stream work. Traffic on Route 13 will be maintained on two lanes (one in each direction) with the exception of short term operations using flaggers. Construction of this project is scheduled to begin in late 2011 and be completed by the end of 2012.

I hope the new bridge will be wider, so folks on the Finger Lakes Trail who have to cross Fall Creek there can walk on the bridge without disrupting traffic patterns. The bridge was listed as 'functionally obsolete' back in 2007, but it's not clear from this what they have in mind.

I'd been fearing a massive diversion of traffic from 13 to 366 over the course of the project, but it sounds like we'll avoid that.

For more details, be at the Varna Community Center - 943 Dryden Road, Varna (map), next Tuesday, November 17th at 6:30pm. (Though the formal presentation starts at 7:00pm.)

Update: Here's the Ithaca Journal article on the meeting:

The new bridge is not expected to have a pier, and it will be around 5 feet higher in order to reduce the grade of the slope as vehicles approach from the high ground on either side. The road on either side of the bridge and its drainage system will also be upgraded.

The new bridge is also expected to have 10-foot shoulders, a large expansion from the 2-foot shoulders the current bridge has -- a change that was well received by members of the Cayuga Trails Club at the meeting.

Posted by simon at November 12, 2009 6:03 PM in
Note on photos