Skinner's Falls Bridge remains closed

MONTICELLO NY– Planning is underway for upgrades and maintenance work to a number of the bridges operated by the New York-Pennsylvania Joint Interstate Bridge Commission.

The Skinners Falls, NY-Milanville, PA Bridge connecting Sullivan County, NY to Wayne County, PA, remains closed to traffic with traffic detours in place since April 3 after engineers discovered faulty vertical truss member cords during a routine inspection.

The commission has approved $80,000 for emergency repairs and awaits permits to begin the work.

The commission also hopes to begin preliminary engineering this year for an $8.5 million rehabilitation of the bridge scheduled for 2017. That work would include addressing the wooden floor beam system, trusses and painting the steel members.

Preliminary engineering is also targeted for this year for a 2014 replacement of the decks and sidewalks and painting of the Narrowsburg, NY-Darbytown, PA Bridge at a cost of just under $4 million.

The Callicoon, NY-Damascus, PA Bridge has $500,000 programmed for next year to acquire rights-of-way, conduct studies and develop a final design for a rehabilitation plan that will cost almost $12 million.

The Cochecton, NY-Damascus, PA Bridge will see preliminary engineering in 2014 for a project the following year for extensive upgrading work with a price tag of $5.1 million.

The Port Jervis, NY-Matamoras, PA Bridge, meanwhile, is slated for a 2015 paint job at a cost of $3.4 million now that a major rehabilitation project that began in 2010 has been completed.