11 April 2008
Officials Say Canadian Pacific Railway Moving on Closed Bridge
Oneonta New York USA - A fix may be on the horizon for a
town of Oneonta, N.Y., bridge owned by Canadian Pacific Railway that was closed by the state because of its poor condition, local
newspapers report. The state deemed the bridge unsafe in January.
Duncan Davie, an aide to state Sen. James Seward, R-Milford, said state funding is available to assist CPR in either
repairing or replacing the bridge. And a town official indicated 10 Apr 2008 that the company is making progress.
"CP Rail has advised us that 95 percent of the preliminary engineering on that bridge is done," Davie said. "They are
looking at a couple of options."
Between $450,000 and $500,000 in transportation funding set aside in the 2007-08 state budget is available for use on a
bridge repair or replacement project, Davie said.
Oneonta Town Supervisor Robert Wood said his conversations with Canadian Pacific indicated the railroad is moving ahead. The railroad
has finished one proposal and is expecting a second to be completed in two weeks, Wood said. His understanding is that one proposal
would be for replacement and another would be for repair, he said.
In East Worcester, N.Y., residents are still waiting to hear about the Brooker Hollow Road bridge, which is in a similar situation to
the Pony Farm bridge, said Otsego County Rep. Donald Lindberg, R-Worcester. A temporary fix has allowed vehicle traffic to use the
bridge since January 2006 after the bridge was deemed unsafe by the DOT in 2005. Canadian Pacific has agreed to fix that bridge, but
Lindberg said the wait has been frustrating.
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