Rye board approves $26,357 contract for temporary Otter Creek Bridge repairs

The Rye town board voted to award a contract to ELQ to perform temporary repairs to the Otter Creek Bridge, approving the low bid of $26,357 and citing engineering guidance that the short-term fix would keep the bridge safe until replacement can proceed under an approximately $5 million state grant.

"The Otter Creek Bridge is the subject of a nearly $5,000,000 grant from the state of New York under the Bridge of New York program," the supervisor said while introducing the item. He told the board that the state Department of Transportation had issued a red flag indicating the bridge could be closed if repairs were not made. Engineers recommended the interim repair because the full replacement will take one to two years.

Board members pressed for a timeline. An engineer and the supervisor said the short-term repair work would likely take about a month and would restore safe operation in the near term; speakers emphasized the urgency because a state inspection could require immediate closure if nothing were done. One member urged that if the state were to shut the structure down, local residents in the area would be heavily affected.

The motion to award ELQ carried on roll call. The board recorded affirmative votes from council members and the supervisor; the resolution authorizes the town to proceed with the purchase order and short-term repair work.

Board materials attached to the agenda included an engineers' memo recommending the repair and explaining that a full bridge replacement would be handled under the larger state grant and a future public bidding process.