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General News: Funds Approved For Forge Hill Bridge
October 18, 2012
SCHUMER SECURES FEDERAL DISASTER FUNDING TO REPLACE FORGE HILL ROAD BRIDGE AND INSTALL TEMPORARY TRAFFIC LIGHT – FUNDS WILL IMPROVE MASSIVE TRAFFIC DELAYS & UNSAFE DETOUR IN TOWN OF NEW WINDSOR
Schumer Announced That the Federal Highway Admin. Has Heeded His Call & Will Break Ground on New Forge Hill Bridge Next Year – In the Meantime, Fed. Highway Agrees to Install Traffic Light at Unsafe Detour in Nearby Neighborhood
In Mid-September, Schumer Urged the Feds to Prioritize the Review of New Bridge Plan & Unlock Funds For Traffic Light At Dangerous Intersection – Bridge Closure Has Forced Cars to Pass Through Dangerous & Inconvenient Intersection For Over a Year
Schumer: Federal Investment Green Lights New Bridge and Improved Safety & Traffic in Orange County
Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer secured critical disaster relief funding from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to replace the Forge Hill Road Bridge and to install a new traffic light at a nearby intersection, over one year after Tropical Storm Irene destroyed the bridge and forced motorists to travel through this dangerous detour without signage. Specifically, Schumer announced that the FHWA has heeded his call and expedited their approval of this bridge replacement, which is now set to begin in 2013 and will be fully funded. In September, Schumer also urged FHWA and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to work together to fund a temporary traffic light, which today FHWA agreed to fund at the intersection of State Route 94 and Butternut Drive to improve safety and traffic operations.
In his appeal to FHWA and NYSDOT last month, Schumer emphasized that Forge Hill Road is a major traffic artery in Orange County, and that the bridge’s closure has forced motorists to take an unsafe detour at a busy intersection that lacks a traffic light. In response to the hazardous detour, Schumer applauded the FHWA and NYSDOT for their commitment to work with Town of New Windsor to put in place a temporary traffic mitigation plan, which he pushed to include a new traffic light in New Windsor, in order to expedite the waiting time and increase safety of cars that wait at the busy intersection to turn left because of the bridge’s closure.
“I am very pleased federal highway officials got the message and heeded our call for action. These federal funds are great news for the town of New Windsor, and give the green light for a much-needed replacement bridge and the traffic signal Orange County residents need and deserve,” said Senator Schumer. “These federal funds will allow the NYSDOT to replace the Forge Hill Road Bridge, improve traffic flow and ensure safe driving conditions for local motorists, their passengers, and first-responders throughout Orange County.
“I applaud the Federal Highway Administration for their commitment to fund the bridge’s reconstruction, which will be put to use in plans to fix the bridge starting next year. What’s more, the federal government will fund a temporary solution for New Windsor motorists by installing a traffic light that is critical on the detour into nearby neighborhoods”
In response to Senator Schumer’s letter, the FHWA Administrator Mendez has determined that the project to replace the bridge is eligible for emergency relief (ER)funds. FHWA does not expect NYSDOT to need another source of federal funding for this project. Administrator Mendez told Schumer that officials of NYSDOT’s Region 8 office and the local sponsor are beginning preliminary engineering, with construction scheduled to begin in late 2013. With the bridge out of service, NYSDOT has reviewed the existing detour and agreed to install a temporary traffic signal at State Route 94 and Butternut Drive to improve safety and trafficoperations. The cost of installing the signal is eligible for ER funds as part of the detour.
In a personal letter to FHWA Administrator Mendez and NYSDOT Commissioner Joan McDonald, Schumer noted that cars have to wait over 20 minutes during peak traffic at the busy intersection, which puts drivers and their passengers in danger without a temporary traffic light. The bridge also served as a major transportation route for first-responders, including ambulance drivers serving New Windsor and Orange County residents. Schumer also highlighted that Orange County and Town of Windsor officials have worked diligently to craft a plan to rebuild and extend part of the bridge over Moodna Creek since Tropical Storm Irene decimated local infrastructure last summer.
Tropical Storm Irene demolished public infrastructure throughout New York State over one year ago, leaving the Forge Hill Bridge in New Windsor to remain closed at the beginning of another school year. The bridge bore the brunt of the most structural damage in Orange County during Tropical Storm Irene from the rising waters that tore down the walls of the bridge, which left it unusable. Upon the loss of support from the walls, the abutment of Forge Hill Road caved in and created a 50-foot sink hole.
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