Freese Road Bridge will be ‘a one-lane bridge’

Residents of the hamlet of Varna are concerned that the current Freese Road bridge will become an updated two-lane bridge. Dryden Town Supervisor Dan Lamb, however, insisted that the current bridge will be replaced with another one-lane bridge.

“The [proposed] design is a one-lane bridge. It’s what we agreed to do,” he added. “Insinuating otherwise is an insult to us.”

The current Freese Road bridge has been closed since Dec. 10 of last year due to structural issues and weight-limit concerns. Between 2019 and 2021, the bridge’s weight limit dropped from 15 to 3 tons.

The bridge was built in 1882 by the Groton Bridge Co. It is one of the last two-span, pin-connected Pratt pony truss bridges left in America, according to Lamb last year.

At a recent town of Dryden business meeting, Laurie Snyder, chair of the Varna Community Association (VCA) and a resident of Varna, noted recent designs of the new bridge show a “two-lane bridge in disguise.”

“[The VCA] finds the new proposal unacceptable,” Snyder said. “It is in direct contradiction to the previous discussions and decisions.”

Those conversations took place in the spring of 2020, Snyder said. According to Snyder, the VCA and the Town Board agreed to switch from a proposed two-lane bridge to a single-lane bridge.

Snyder argued at the recent Town Board meeting that the proposed design in question shows the structure to be “27.5 feet wide,” adding that the traffic lane is 10 feet wide and the walkway is also the same size.

“If it’s wide enough to have two lanes, it’s probably a two-lane bridge,” Snyder said, noting that the design shows the walkway with “insufficient separation” from the traffic lane.

“When I saw the latest design for the Freese Road bridge, I was gobsmacked,” said Janet Morgan, also a resident of Varna.

Morgan demanded that the recent design be “trashed.”

Lamb, surprised by the reactions of Morgan and Snyder, said that the new bridge will be a single-lane, multi-girder steel bridge with concrete intact and original trusses preserved.

Lamb also noted that the designs Morgan and Snyder mentioned were only preliminary designs and sketches. He added that the town’s plan is to have a bridge with a 10-foot travel lane with a 2-foot space on each side of the vehicle traffic lane. This includes a raised 10-foot pedestrian and bicycle path, he added.

“We have to come up with a design that fits within the new prices we’re dealing with. We’re not even at this final stage, so I think there’s too much insinuation from the letters I’ve seen,” he said. “We’re jumping the gun about what this design even looks like. We don’t even have authorization yet to use the trusses.”

When Snyder mentioned the walkway needs to be “completely separated from the traffic on the outside of the bridge,” Lamb replied by saying, “We’re not wavering on that. We have concerns about safety and pedestrian/bicycle use. The width of the pedestrian and bicycle space is to accommodate that year round [and meet state standards].”

Lamb said the town has financial limitations to putting in a new bridge but noted it still wants to provide accommodations. The town, he added, is looking to spend under $2.8 million for the bridge, which includes buying new traffic signals for it.

“We’re getting to the point that we’re going to go over budget when the bridge is built,” Town Supervisor Jason Leifer said. “The county and state aren’t going to pay for that. We have to get this thing designed and built while we can still afford it. Otherwise, there won’t be a bridge there.”

The New York State Department of Transportation told the town that the bridge needs to be advertised even though the town has advertised and found potential bidders, Lamb said.

“We want a project that fits the budget that the county will hopefully take over,” he added. “We don’t want to own this thing. We want to give it to [Tompkins County] and give them something they will want to maintain instead of us.”

And that’s if the county “likes the design,” Lamb added.

“They could tell us to maintain the bridge [during the winter] ourselves,” Lamb said.

Rick Young, the town’s highway superintendent, noted that going “back and forth” maintaining the bridge during winter “affects the taxpayers.”

“We’re all exhausted with this project,” Lamb said. “We just want this to be done.”

Snyder noted she is hopeful the town will continue to be “on the same page” on having a single-lane bridge.

“We look forward to having a new bridge to preserve some of Varna’s historic character, promote pedestrian safety and encourage drivers to slow down,” Snyder added.

Dryden Dispatch appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.

In brief:

Annual Traditions & Beyond Quilt Show this weekend

The Tompkins County Quilters Guild will hold its annual Traditions & Beyond Quilt Show this Saturday and Sunday at the Tompkins Cortland Community College fieldhouse.

The event will go from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Admission is $6 and free for children under 12.

The show will include hundreds of quilts on display, wearable art and special exhibits. It will also include vendors to shop from, a silent auction and quilting books and magazines.

For more information, go to tcqg.org.