BRIDGE RESCUE: Monroe County, New York bridge closes—again

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has closed the Marsh Road Bridge in Bushnell’s Basin for the second time since late 2014. The span, built in 1912, was shut for a fortnight in 2014 for emergency repairs.

NYSDOT public information officer Lori Maher says a recent bridge inspection and engineering analysis revealed deterioration that needs to be repaired immediately.

“It was an evaluation process to figure out the best weight that this bridge should carry, and in this case it came back to be less than 3 tons. When we get a bridge that's rated to carry less than three tons then we have to take some immediate action.”

The bridge did hold a rating of 7 to 8 tons, which NYSDOT officials hope the bridge will return to after current repairs, which are expected to last 2 weeks.

Maher further stated the Marsh Road Bridge is slated to be nearly fully replaced in 2017; it will remain a one-lane truss bridge. “We do have this bridge scheduled for just short of a replacement,” Maher told a local news outlet. “We call it rehabilitation. We’ll be replacing the floor system and other structural components.”