Construction to replace Genung Road bridge in Dryden set for 2025

A construction timeline has been set to replace a bridge that’s more than 80 years old.

The Genung Road Bridge, located in the Town of Dryden between Ellis Hollow Road and Ellis Hollow Creek Road and spanning Cascadilla Creek, will be replaced. Construction on a new bridge is scheduled for summer 2025.

The replacement project cost is anticipated to be $1.02 million. In late 2021, town officials received $1.381 million through Gov. Kathy Hochul’s $216 million BridgeNY initiative. The funding aids the town’s efforts in replacing the Genung Road bridge. 

“This one is pretty routine compared to other ones,” said Town Supervisor Jason Leifer. “There’s no historic component. It’s just a simple replacement of a bridge.”

The current bridge, which was built in 1940, is a two-lane, single-span structure with a timber deck and steel structure supported by steel abutments. The clear span is 26 feet, and the bridge can hold 14 tons.

According to a Dec. 18 presentation provided by consulting firm Barton & Loguidice, the current bridge “does not satisfy [New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT)] hydraulic requirements for bridges.”

The new bridge will be a single-span bridge “on the same alignment,” according to a description of the replacement project. The proposed structure, noted in the presentation, is an “adjacent prestressed concrete beam with a concrete deck superstructure,” which will be “founded on integral abutments with a single row of driven steel H-piles.”

The span will increase from 26 to 50 feet, which will meet the NYSDOT hydraulic requirements. Leifer said the longer span will prevent erosion around the creek.

The project will also construct new concrete wingwalls for the updated bridge, along with a new guide rail and a trapezoidal exit. According to the presentation, about 270 feet of full-depth reconstruction is required, with an additional 100 feet of milling and resurfacing to blend the existing roadway at the limits of the newly constructed bridge.

The dimensions between the old bridge and the new bridge include an increase from 9 to 10 feet for the travel lane, 1 to 2 feet for the shoulder and 22.25 to 24 feet for the width.

Consultants attached to the project expect the service life of the new bridge to be about 75 years. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in May 2025 and will conclude in August of that year.

The final design of the new bridge is anticipated to be completed by November 2024, and the deadline to receive bids is January 2025.

“As long as all the bidding goes right, it should go according to plan,” Leifer said.

The Genung Road bridge will be closed to traffic during the three months of construction work. Traffic (beyond local traffic) will be directed to a detour, which will utilize Ellis Hollow Creek Road, Turkey Hill Road and Ellis Hollow Road. According to documents, the signed detour will be about 2.4 miles and will require an extra four minutes to drive around Genung Road.

“[The detour] is very minor,” Leifer said. 

Comments on the Genung Road bridge can be sent to Leifer by mail at 93 E. Main St., Dryden, NY 13053 or via email at supervisor@dryden.ny.us. The deadline to submit comments is Jan. 2, 2024.

Dryden Dispatch appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.

In brief:

Dryden Town Historical Society announces hours for upcoming year

With the New Year approaching, the Dryden Town Historical Society (DTHS) at 14 North St. in the village has announced its hours for the first few months of 2024.

From January to March, DTHS will be open the first and third Saturdays of the month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those dates include Jan. 6 and 19, Feb. 3 and 17, and March 2 and 16. DTHS plans to be open this Saturday, Dec. 29.

DTHS’s normal Saturday schedule, which is 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., will resume in April.

For further information, contact DTHS at 607-844-9209 or email at drydennyhistory@gmail.com.

Municipal meetings in the month of January

The Freeville Board of Trustees will have its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at 5 Factory St. in the village. The public is invited to attend.

The Dryden Town Board is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. on Jan. 11 and Jan. 18 at the town hall at 93 E. Main St. The meetings can be attended either in person or via Zoom.

The Dryden Board of Trustees will meet at 7 p.m. Jan. 17 at the village hall at 16 South St.

Village of Freeville provides information on spring election

With the spring election in a few months, the village of Freeville recently announced that the following offices and terms are designated to be filled:

• Trustees: two-year terms for two seats apiece
• Mayor: two-year term

The village spring election is scheduled for March 19. Independent nominating forms are available at freevilleny.org and at the village hall at 5 Factory St. during regular business hours.

The first day for individuals to sign independent nominating petitions is Jan. 2, 2024. Completed petitions must be submitted to the village clerk between Feb. 6 and Feb. 13. The number of signatures collected must be at least 5% (16 signatures) of registered voters. 

For more information, go to freevilleny.org or contact the village at 607-844-8301.