Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Bridges Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lewis County to assume responsibility for 12 town bridges; legislature approves multiple ownership transfers
Summary
Following a highway department presentation on bridge inspections and costs, Lewis County legislators voted to accept ownership of 12 town and village bridges and asked towns to pass matching resolutions before transfers occur.
Lewis County legislators moved to accept ownership of a dozen town and village bridges after a highway presentation outlining inspection requirements, replacement costs and local funding burdens.
The county presentation explained that bridges with a deck span of 20 feet or longer are inspected by a licensed engineer every two years and entered in the Bridge Data Information System (BDIS). County staff said towns sometimes cannot afford their 5% local share for replacement projects — a share that can amount to roughly $100,000 on a $2,000,000 replacement — and that taking ownership can reduce the risk of long-term closures.
County presenter John Reid described the county's inspection and maintenance workflow and the selection criteria for the initial group of town bridges the county proposes to take over. He told legislators Lewis County currently owns and maintains 86 bridges and that the county highway crew conducts spring washing, documents repairs, and performs summer preventive maintenance. Reid said the county identified 12 town- and village-owned bridges to add to its inventory this year and emphasized choosing structures in good condition or recently rebuilt so the county's bridge crew can absorb the additional workload.
Why it matters: local governments face rising replacement costs, stiffer DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) stream- and span-related criteria, and shrinking ability among small towns to fund 5% local shares. County staff said taking over eligible town bridges can centralize inspection, reduce duplicate administrative effort and help towns avoid closures they cannot financially absorb.
Details and selected sites: during the presentation Reid identified candidate bridges by town and street. Among those named were bridges in Krogan (Long Pond Road over West Branch Oshkaguchi River; South Bridge Street over Beaver River), Lyonsdale (River Road), Martinsburg (Centerville Road), Diana (Jordan Falls Road over Middle Branch Aswagotchi River), the village of Lyons Falls (Fulton Street), West Turin (Sweeney Road), and Leiden (Brock Road over North Branch Moose Creek). Reid cited a recent replacement on East Road (village of Bridle, 2024) that cost about $2,000,000 as an example of replacement costs.
Reid asked legislators to take the proposed transfer resolutions back to their towns and said transfers "will not become ours until the town also passes the exact same resolution giving it." He offered to provide template resolution language referencing the bridge BIN (bridge identification) numbers to towns.
Legislative action: during the General Services committee and full session, legislators voted to accept ownership and responsibility for multiple town and village bridges. Each motion was approved by voice vote with no recorded nays in the meeting transcript. The passed ownership items included (as recorded in committee minutes): - Acceptance of specified Town of Krogan bridges (Long Pond Road over West Branch Oshkaguchi River; South Bridge Street over Beaver River). - Acceptance of a Town of Diana bridge (Jordan Falls Road over Middle Branch Aswagotchi River). - Acceptance of a Town of Leiden bridge (Brock Road over North Branch Moose Creek). - Acceptance of Town of Wobble bridges (Gordon Road, Bartle [Bartow] Road, McHugh Road and Bickford Road over Mill Creek). - Acceptance of Town of Lyonsdale bridge (River Road over Fallbrook). - Acceptance of Town of Martinsburg bridge (Centerville Road over Roaring Brook). - Acceptance of Town of West Turin bridge (Sweeney Road over East Branch Fish Creek). - Acceptance of Village of Lyons Falls bridge (Fulton Street over Hoskins Creek).
Discussion and next steps: county staff said they chose bridges in better condition for this first round so the highway crew can manage the added work. The county may request additional bridge budget funds in future budgets depending on maintenance needs. Staff also noted some culverts currently under 20-foot deck span thresholds may be reclassified as bridges under DEC rules, creating future obligations for localities.
Ending: legislators carried the acceptance motions and set in motion the intergovernmental steps needed for towns to pass matching resolutions. County staff said they will monitor the first round of transfers before expanding the program in subsequent years.
