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Yates County approves temporary double-lane bridge option for Ferguson Corners rehabilitation
Summary
After sustained public comment from farmers and businesses about losing access to fields, the Yates County Legislature approved an option to use a double-lane temporary bridge during Ferguson Corners Road bridge rehabilitation if engineers cannot economically reschedule construction to a less disruptive season.
The Yates County Legislature voted June 8 to approve use of a double-lane temporary bridge during the Ferguson Corners Road bridge rehabilitation project if design or construction methods cannot be economically altered to allow work during a less disruptive season.
The debate followed multiple public comments from local farmers and businesses who said the bridge is essential for farm operations between April 1 and Nov. 10. Jeremiah Tomion, reading a letter from Torrey Farms, told legislators: "It will be very difficult to access our farmland if there is no temporary structure in place at Ferguson Corners Bridge while it is under repair so we can maintain access to our farmland and fields on both sides of the bridge." Several speakers warned detours through Gorham or Potter would be unsafe or impractical for oversized equipment.
Legislator Doug Paddock pressed for designers to pursue alternatives that would allow construction during late fall or winter, saying investigators should pursue parallel design paths. "The temporary bridge will delay the project by a year, so, investigating it isn't going to delay it more than that," Paddock argued during committee discussion.
Opponents, including Legislator Terry Button and others, cautioned that building a temporary bypass could add substantial cost and risk losing state funding. After amendment and discussion, the roll-call vote approved the resolution: Banach, Holgate, Lawson, Harper, Killen, Purdy, Bronson, Paddock, MacKerchar, Flynn and Church voted yes; Jayne, Button and Willson voted no.
The resolution directs engineers to evaluate whether construction methods can be economically incorporated to avoid a bypass and otherwise authorizes use of a double-lane temporary bridge. The project carries the county project number 6755.79 and officials said state DOT funding will not offset the temporary bridge cost.
Next steps: the public works team will continue design and schedule planning; a final construction contract and budget approval will return to the Legislature before work begins.
