Two Orange County bridges need attention

ALBANY, N.Y. — Two bridges in Orange County were among five statewide found to have problems after a visual inspection by the state Bridge Task Force. The Route 9W bridge over Popolen Creek was given a red flag, indicating a condition requiring action within six weeks, because of a crack in the tiedown at the end of one of the bridge’s trusses. Bolts were also missing in three small, metal plates. The bridge will remain open during repairs, which are scheduled for mid-October. The Creamery Road bridge over Woodbury Creek in Cornwall received a yellow flag for corrosion on a floor beam, which will be evaluated. The state officials who inspected New York’s 49 deck truss bridges issued their report on Sept. 10. After a bridge collapse in Minneapolis killed 13 people last month, Gov. Eliot Spitzer ordered state agencies to inspect similarly designed bridges within 30 days and report back to him. The task force found three more bridges in the state that require further investigation: • The Route 9W bridge over Cedar Pond Brook in Rockland County’s Stoney Point was given two yellow flags, indicating less critical conditions that are likely to get worse if not fixed: one each for corrosion on a non-weight-bearing part of the deck truss and on a floor beam. The bridge, scheduled for replacement in 2009, will be monitored. • The Route 104 bridge over Irondequoit Bay in Irondequoit, Monroe County, got a yellow flag for single, hairline cracks in two concrete pedestals on top of the bridge piers. Damage was also found on a concrete barrier, likely caused by a vehicle hitting it. • The Route 219 bridge spanning the Cattaraugus Creek between the village of Springville and the town of Ashford was posted by the state Department of Transportation to restrict certain trucks with overweight permits, which primarily effects heavy commercial vehicles. The visual inspections did not find problems on the state’s longest truss bridge — the Tappan Zee — or the bridge with the most truss decking — the Kingston-Rhinecliff — both on the Hudson. The task force of representatives from the transportation department, the Thruway Authority, the New York State Bridge Authority and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — also determined the state’s bridge inspection program is effective and doesn’t need to be changed. More detailed and thorough inspections will be completed by Nov. 1, with a focus on detecting cracks caused by fatigue, distortion or corrosion.