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Mount Vernon wins $5 million Bridge NY grant for South Fulton Bridge; DPW projects design by mid-2026 and spring construction target
Summary
DPW officials said the city secured Bridge NY funding and selected Hudson Valley Engineering Associates for next-phase work; preliminary plans to NYDOT are due within 90 days and full design is expected by the second quarter next year, with construction targeted for spring/summer.
Mount Vernon Department of Public Works leaders told a public town hall that the South Fulton Avenue Bridge will move into design phase after the city received a Bridge NY award and selected an engineering firm to advance plans.
Deputy Commissioner John Nikolaevich said the city applied to the Bridge NY program and was awarded $5,000,000 with a 5 percent local contribution. "We applied to the Bridge New York program. We got $5,000,000 with a 5% contribution by us," he said.
Why it matters: presenters described significant structural deterioration under the bridge, including "section loss" of spans and girders and rotted shoring that forced the bridge's closure. DPW staff said rehabilitation appeared unlikely to be economically viable and that replacement or a culvert option were among the menu of concepts engineers were asked to evaluate.
Work already done and schedule - The city completed screenings and has surveying under way to refine options. - The city selected Hudson Valley Engineering Associates (HVEA) through an RFP process to advance preliminary engineering; Deputy Commissioner Nikolaevich said HVEA was selected and "that went to an RFP as well that went that was voted in" though he did not state the vote date. - Timeline presented by DPW: a draft report to NYDOT in under 90 days; preliminary plans by the end of the year; full design by second quarter of next year; construction targeted for spring/summer the following season.
Officials' technical framing DPW staff described near-100 percent section loss in some columns and flanges and said prior timber shoring has rotted. "I think we all know at Mount Vernon that rehabilitation of this bridge is not viable economically. Rehabilitation of bridges seldom are," Nikolaevich said while reviewing the inspection photos.
Options under consideration included (as described to residents): filling the span and making it a street; installing a precast box culvert if feasible; or attacking piers and wing walls if that proved viable. Staff cautioned that property easements, rights-of-way and a deteriorated concrete roadway under the bridge would affect any chosen approach and that some roadway repairs would not be eligible for Bridge NY funding.
Actions recorded - Bridge NY grant award: $5,000,000 with 5% local contribution (noted in DPW presentation). - Firm selection: Hudson Valley Engineering Associates selected via RFP for South Fulton Bridge preliminary work; DPW said selection was completed and more public updates will follow as the city chooses a "menu" of options.
Ending: DPW said it will continue surveying and coordination with NYDOT, complete the preliminary plans and publish updates to the project timeline as designs are refined.
