Town of Dryden gets further approval for Freese Road bridge project

The Town of Dryden’s effort to remove the current Freese Road bridge and replace it with a new one recently took a big step forward.

According to Town Deputy Supervisor Dan Lamb, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) responded to the New York State Department of Transportation’s (NYSDOT) petition to review the process of the project, which is pursuant to the replacement of a historic bridge.

After receiving approval from the NYSDOT, the FHWA told town officials the project is “good to go,” Lamb said.

“Getting the clearance to say that the review requirements are satisfied was kind of a big deal,” Lamb added, noting that the letter of approval was received by town officials on Sept. 19.

The Tompkins County Highway Department closed the bridge on Dec. 10, 2021 due to safety and structural issues and weight-limit concerns. Between 2019 and 2021, the bridge’s weight limit was lowered from 15 to 3 tons.

The bridge, which stretches across Fall Creek, was built in 1882 by the Groton Bridge Co. Lamb has said that it is one of the last two-span, pin-connected Pratt pony truss bridges left in America. Aside from the main issues, Lamb said that the structure was originally coated with lead-based paint. 

The town is close to beginning the process of removing the old bridge and replacing it with a new, single-lane, steel multi-girder bridge. Lamb said in the past that the town plans to incorporate the old facade — also known as the original trusses — into the new bridge.

Lamb noted that town officials will meet with the town’s consultant, Barton & Loguidice, to discuss the final design of the new bridge and construction as a whole for the project. Then, Lamb said, the project will be put out to bid for contractors.

The project will be funded by the $2.7 million BridgeNY grant the town received in 2016, which Lamb said the town budgeted for costs.

“We’re removing [the bridge] because it’s not structurally sound,” Lamb said in the past. “There’s no new cost to the town on this [project].”

Lamb mentioned that the bridge project was one of his first assignments when he joined the town board in 2016.

“It’s taken far longer than I thought it would,” Lamb said. “If you told me then I’d still be working on it in 2024, I would have said that I should do something else in my next eight years [on the board].”

Lamb said that the project will begin with “deconstruction” of the current bridge, which could take place over the winter with drilling, removing and taking out parts of the bridge.

 “We’ll put this out to bid as soon as possible and work with contractors on a schedule,” Lamb said.

The new bridge, Lamb said, will include reused historic trusses from the old bridge.

“A lot of it is going to look the same to the average user of that bridge,” Lamb said, noting that the steel structure will “catch the eye” of drivers.

Freese Road will soon have a concrete steel reinforced bridge with unlimited capacity, Lamb said. More importantly, Lamb added, emergency vehicles, snow vehicles and more soon will not have to drive around the bridge. 

“The lack of access to that area made us town officials worry,” Lamb said.

Lamb mentioned in the past that vehicles “would have to go completely around down to Route 13,” cutting down on “response time for residents who live in that area.”

Despite the long waits for a response, Lamb knew that reviews from state and federal agencies are in place “to serve a purpose,” noting the need for “adequate accountability” of a public project.

“Now, we’ll have a bridge that’s good for another 50 years,” Lamb said.

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

In brief:

Dryden Recreation provides details on Halloween scare show

The Town of Dryden Recreation Department announced that its annual Halloween scare show will be held Oct. 25 and 26 at the Dryden Fire Hall at 26 North St. in the village.

The free-of-charge event, which is called “Orphanage,” will have shows from 6 to 9 p.m. both days. The shows are recommended for individuals 10 years or older.

On Oct. 26, there will be a lighted, kid-friendly event from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Candy will be handed out, and children are encouraged to wear their costumes. 

Non-monetary donations will be accepted to benefit the Dryden Food Pantry and Cops, Kids & Toys.

Library in Dryden to receive state funding for programming

Assemblymember Anna Kelles (D-Freeville) announced that Southworth Library in the village of Dryden will be one of eight local libraries to receive state funding for programming and other improvements.

Kelles said that $66,900 in state funding will be distributed to libraries in Tompkins and Cortland Counties. Southworth Library will receive $5,500 to continue existing programming.