Bridge on brink of replacement

After a year of closure, the Bank Street Bridge is now being prepared for replacement. The bridge, which is owned and maintained by Orange County, will be completely reconstructed, and when finished, Bank Street will be open for vehicular traffic. The design process has been extensive, involving a team of engineers headed by Travis Ewald and Ryan McGuire from the Orange County DPW, consulting with the Village’s Architectural Review Board, chaired by Michael Bertolini.

Due to Department of Transportation safety standards, the decorative iron railing could not be a part of the design.

“The historic ironwork from the Bank Street Bridge was carefully removed and is in storage,” said Village of Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard. “The ironwork will be saved and reused for a future project. The new bridge will be precast concrete. The selection and design process was lengthy, and the new railings will aesthetically fit in the context of the Historic District.”

Construction work has been ongoing. Starting Monday, April 25, at 2 p.m., the South Street parking lot will become a staging area for the precast bridge to be put in place. This work will be completed Tuesday, April 26 at 3 p.m.

Vehicles may still park in the spaces along the Wawayanda Creek in the vicinity of the Carriage Path Bridge and the public parking portion of the Chase lot on South Street. No pedestrian or vehicular traffic will be permitted in the delineated area during construction operations. Vehicles remaining in the area are subject to towing on the morning of April 26, starting at 6 a.m. The new bridge will open on or around May 18.

“We do recognize that this project, while essential, will be a disruption for many residents and businesses,” said a county spokesperson. “We appreciate your cooperation in this matter so that OCDPW can complete their project within the anticipated period.”