Town inches closer to Rt. 13 pedestrian bridge construction

The town of Dryden is inching toward officially breaking ground on a bridge that will connect two sides of the 11-mile Dryden Rail Trail.

The Dryden town board recently approved the donations of land for the project. The town received a couple parcels of land from Cornell University, and 1.3 acres of land from Knickerbocker Bed Frame Company.

The newly-acquired land surrounding Route 13 aids the town’s efforts for installing a prefabricated steel-truss pedestrian bridge with ramps on each side.

“We now have all the land we need for the bridge,” Dryden town deputy supervisor Dan Lamb said. “It’s great to have that level of cooperation with neighboring landowners.”

The town is currently waiting to hear back on an approval review process on the bridge from the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT). Lamb anticipates the town will receive DOT’s review soon.

Lamb noted that once approval from DOT has been received, the town can submit the bridge project out for bids from contractors.

Lamb believes bridge construction will begin in and conclude during the spring season in 2024. Depending on the weather, Lamb anticipates the project will be completed in a few months.

Based on the timeline, Lamb noted the bridge could be open to the public by May 2024.

“The main thing people will notice is the ramps being constructed,” Lamb said. “The bridge just gets dropped in (with a crane). There won’t be a long assembly process for the bridge.”

The bridge, a project several years in the making, initially had a total cost of $2.2 million in March 2020. Now, it’s anticipated to cost close to $3 million.

So far, the town has received $1.5 million from the DOT’s Transportation Alternative Program, along with $105,000 in grants from other entities. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in May 2022 announced that the town would receive $700,000 in federal funding.

Lamb mentioned that town officials informed the state of $200,000-300,000 in backstop funds. These funds, Lamb said, will either come from the town’s budget or outside funding that includes a potential grant from NYSEG’s community enhancement program.

“If we don’t use those funds, it will remain in the budget,” Lamb said. “That said, we expect to get more grant money.”

Once the project reaches completion, Lamb said the bridge will be a “marquee feature” for everyone.

“It’s going to have a lot of benefits,” he added.

Lamb mentioned the last piece to completely connect the Dryden Rail Trail is the part of the trail between Pinckney Road and the village of Freeville. Lamb noted the villages of Dryden and Freeville, including a stretch beyond Freeville, all have trail connections.

The one on Pinckney Road, however, involves the town working on getting easements from landowners. This means the town will appease landowners with signage, fencing and more for the trail stretch.

“We’re making a lot of progress,” Lamb said, noting the Pinckney Road trail will soon have crushed stone dust on its surface.

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

In brief:

REV Theatre to present Aesop’s Fables on Stage in Freeville

REV Theatre, of Auburn, will present Aesop’s Fables on Stage this Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Freeville Farmers Market on the Freeville Elementary School front lawn at 43 Main St.

The 45-minute fast-paced show is free and open to the public. It will showcase Aesop’s most famous stories, including “The Lion and the Mouse,” “The Tortoise and the Hare” and more.

The show is hosted by the Freeville Community Council, with support from the Dryden Youth Opportunity Fund. If there is inclement weather, the show will be moved to Freeville Village Fire Department at 21 Union St.

Dryden Junior Fire Academy is this month

Dryden’s fire department, the Neptune Hose Company of Dryden, is holding a Junior Fire Academy in August.

The junior academy will be held on:

• Aug. 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
• Aug. 18 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with lunch provided
• Aug. 19 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with lunch provided

Activities include fire hose handling, a mock search, improvising EMS situations, fire extinguishers, calling 911 and more.

The academy is for ages 5 to 15. To register for the event, go to drydenrec.recdesk.com.

For questions, contact Steve Foote at 607-423-2220 or stevefooteEMS1271@outlook.com.

Program on restoration of Dryden fair poster is Sept. 10

The Dryden Town Historical Society (DTHC) will hold a program on the restoration of the 1885 Dryden Fair poster on Sept. 10 from 2-3 p.m. at the village hall at 16 South St.

Luisa Casella, of West Lake Conservators, will present the poster. It was previously heavily damaged and in dire condition.

For more information, contact the DTHC at 607-844-9209 or drydennyhistory@gmail.com.