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County 26 bridge beams in place; opening expected mid‑June after defective beam replaced
Summary
Allegany County Public Works says beams are installed on County 26 (Belfast) bridge and crews expect an opening around mid‑June after replacing a defective manufactured beam; officials said the delay was due to a rejected beam, not diversion of steel to other projects.
Allegany County Department of Public Works reported that beams are in place on the County 26 bridge in the town of Belfast and crews are moving toward a mid‑June opening.
“The beams are up. They’re looking to install shear studs next week, rebar the following week. And then depending on the weather, they’re hoping to pour it the first week in [April] or last week in April, first week in May. And opening is still scheduled for mid‑June-ish,” said Thomas Windus, County Superintendent of Public Works.
The meeting included follow‑up on a rumor that production of bridge steel for a Buffalo stadium had delayed the bridge work. Windus said the delay stemmed from a defective beam: “One of the beams that they were manufacturing had defects to it. And when they went to fix it, they didn’t fix it appropriately, so we got rejected. So what the delay was, we had to wait for them to build that other one. That’s why we waited until February to get that beam complete so we could get it installed.”
A county board member who asked about the rumor summed up the local reaction: “Being a Buffalo Bills fan, I was hoping that wasn’t any truth to that,” the member said during the meeting.
Why it matters: the County 26 bridge carries local traffic and its reopening will restore full service on the route. The Public Works office gave a concrete near‑term schedule for remaining work—shear studs, rebar and a concrete pour—subject to weather. The department did not give an exact opening date beyond “mid‑June.”
What’s next: Public Works will proceed with the scheduled shear‑stud installation, rebar and concrete work. The office will continue to report progress to the committee; no change to the county’s previously announced mid‑June target was made at the meeting.
