infrastructure

Press release:

New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez today announced that major construction is complete on a $1.6 million project to replace elements of the bridge carrying U.S. Route 20 over Oatka Creek in the Town of Pavilion, Genesee County.

The bridge, which reopened to traffic today, will be more resilient and capable of withstanding potential damage from flooding or stream debris during inclement weather.

“By making existing infrastructure more resilient to wearing and weather impacts, we are investing in the future of our transportation system,” Commissioner Dominguez said. “The renovations, which DOT incorporated as part of this project provide safe access for users and will greatly benefit Genesee County residents and travelers as part of the Finger Lakes Forward initiative.”

As part of this project, the existing steel truss was replaced with a modern steel multi-girder superstructure that includes a concrete deck. To accommodate all users of the roadway, 12-foot-wide travel lanes and seven-foot-wide shoulders were included in the striping pattern of the bridge to facilitate bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

Multi-girder type bridges have more redundant elements than truss bridges, making them more resilient. Rip rap shoring up the base provides additional strength to the bridge, preventing erosion, and the inclusion of joint-less approaches to the bridge will help reduce corrosion.

Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer said “I am glad that the construction on Route 20 bridge over Oatka Creek is complete. The safety of our roads and bridges is one of my top priorities. With winter fast approaching this construction completion was crucial.”

Assemblyman Steve Hawley said “The Route 20 Bridge over Oatka Creek has been subject to flood waters and damage for some time, and I am pleased to see that repairs have been made and travelers may now cross the bridge with ease and confidence. Safe and reliable infrastructure is paramount for our business owners, local residents and emergency service vehicles, and I will continue to advocate for Western New York’s bridge road and highway needs moving forward.”

During the bridge closure, which began in July, motorists were detoured using nearby state routes 19 and 63. While the bridge is now open to vehicular traffic, there is anticipated cleanup work and shoulder work remaining.

For real-time travel information, motorists should call 511, visit www.511NY.org or download the free 511NY app.

Press release:

The City of Batavia Water Deptartment is on location of a water main break at the Intersection of Ellicott Street and Clifton Avenue.

Clifton Avenue will be closed to through traffic. Water may be interrupted on Clifton Avenue, and James, William and Ellicott streets between Otis Street and Clifton Avenue, and Harvester Avenue from Ellicott Place to Ellicott Street.

Please do not attempt to do laundry as water may be discolored due to work being done.

Union Street has been plagued by water main breaks over the past few years but that should be a thing of the past with a new water line in place.

As part of a $2.3 million project, the city has replaced the water mains on Union Street, South Main Street, and Brooklyn Avenue, as well as replacing sidewalks and repaving the streets.

The cost of the project is covered primarily by grants and funds from the federal government, called Community Development Block Grants.

The project also included storm drain improvements at Williams Park.

The contract for the work was awarded in March to Randsco Pipeline Inc.

Today, Union Street was milled in preparation to lay down new asphalt.

Press release:

A water main break on Pearl Street at approximately 5 a.m. has resulted in water service interruption in an area between 40 Pearl St. and the City Line.

Crews are preparing to make repairs and replace the pipe. Water service will be restored as soon as is possible.

From City of Batavia Department of Public Works:

On Thursday, Aug. 22, the water will be turned off on Walnut Street from number 101 to the city line and all of Law Street starting at 8 a.m. for a water line repair.

The work may result in a period of discolored water in this general area after service is restored. Residents should check to make sure water clarity has returned before resuming activities such as laundry which may be impacted.

The county Highway Department announced that the Sumner Road bridge over Elevenmile Creek in Darien is now restricted to alternating one-way traffic with a temporary signal. The change took effect yesterday. This bridge is between Route 77 and Harlow Road.

The public will be notified when the road reopens to both lanes of traffic.

The Highway Department also announced that the Caswell Road Bridge between Walkers Corners Road and Cockram Road in Byron will be closed effective Thursday, Aug. 22nd through Oct. 4^th.

Press release:

Effective immediately the is a water shut down on Walnut Street from the city line to Law Street for a repair to a broken water main.

Service will be restored as soon as possible. Once service is restored, you may notice some discoloration. Please delay doing laundry until the water clears up.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you in advance for your cooperation.

UPDATE 2:52 p.m.: Water service has been restored and the roadway is open.

RIck von Kramer shared with us this quick video of new spans that have been delivered for installation over the Tonawanda Creek for the new Pratt Road Bridge.

Here's a video we did previously about the project:

The Town of Bergen is approved for nearly $9 million in funding for water infrastructure, the USDA's Rural Utilities Service Administrator Chad Rupe announced Thursday.

A loan of $5.9 million and a grant of $3,058,000 from the USDA's Water and Environmental Program will be used to install a water distribution system.

The project description says the service area has no municipal water system and Bergen residents rely on individual wells. It says this funding will bring public water service to 335 residential connections and 32 commerical properties in the town that currently lack access to safe potable water.

"We are very pleased with the award (of the funding package)," said Town of Bergen Supervisor Ernie Haywood this morning (Aug. 9), "and we thank all those involved who made it possible. We are moving forward..."

According to the description, "Regulatory agencies indicate the deficiencies in the system are a threat to the health of residents and that the completion of this project will address the code issues, alleviate health problems and provide reliable water to the residents and commercial properties. The project will also supply fire protection for all located in the district."

In areas without public water, firefighters must draw water from other sources such as ponds and creeks in order to fight a blaze.

Proponents of the federal assistance package reached out to property owners to inform them about the plan for a water district and public meetings have been held about it.

As part of the approval process, the USDA requires a percentage of affected property owners to sign petitions in favor of the infrastructure and funding package. For the last several months, the Town of Bergen has gathered signatures to create a water district where there is no public water system.

The expectation is that construction would start quickly once the funds are released and that it would take about a year to complete, said Bergen Councilman Mark Anderson.

In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities.

In January 2018, Secretary George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump.

These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force.

Thursday's announcement about rural water and wastewater investments will benefit 133,000 rural Americans in 24 states. A total of $135 million will be distributed to pay for 49 U.S. projects.

USDA had $2.9 billion in loans and grants available in the Water and Environmental at the start of the 2019 fiscal year. Additional funding announcements are expected in the coming weeks.

USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports: infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed Internet access in rural areas.

For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.

Construction has begun on a nearly $1.2 million Pedestrian Way project that will result in some wider walkways for walkers on State Street and an improved pedestrian crossing at State and Richmond Avenue.

The project includes new sidewalks on Washington Avenue and Bank Street.

Along State Street (photo), the new wider sidewalk will connect Washington Avenue with Batavia High School.

The new crossing system at State and Richmond will include audible signals for the visually impaired.

The gravel path along Richmond Avenue in Centennial Park will also be rehabilitated.

The original project budget was $1.25 million, with a Federal grant covering 75 percent of the cost but bids came in $217,000 over budget. The city will dip in further to its sidewalk reserve fund and available state aid to make the local share 35 percent instead of 25 percent.

Public Works Director Matt Worth previously advised the City Council to accept the higher bid rather than rebid the project because this summer construction costs for such projects have been increasing so a new round of bidding would have likely resulted in even higher costs.

Genesee County is replacing the bridge over the Tonawanda Creek at Pratt Road in Batavia. The $1.6 million project is 95 percent federally funded.

Effective today (June 4), Ham Road, between Knowlesville Road and Gorton Road in Alabama will be closed for a bridge replacement. It will be closed for approximately two months.

Information from the USDA:

The Town of Le Roy is the recipient of an $89,000 loan and a $34,000 grant from the USDA's Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program to build Water District #11.

According to today's announcement by the USDA, in Washington, D.C., this project will extend public water service to eight residential users in the town who currently do not have safe potable water. The announcement did not specify where Water District #11 to benefit eight households is located.

The investment will eliminate health concerns, lower costs and provide better water quality and quantity as well as fire protection.

Le Roy's project is one of 40 approved in 20 states intended to improve rural water infrastructure. The investments will benefit 111,000 rural Americans, according to USDA.

“These investments will have a far-reaching, positive impact on rural residents, businesses and communities,” said Joel Baxley, acting assistant secretary for Rural Development. “Improving water and wastewater infrastructure enhances quality of life, helps support economic development and ensures that rural areas have safe and abundant water supplies.”

USDA is investing $82 million through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. Rural communities, water districts and other eligible entities can use the funds for drinking water, stormwater drainage and waste disposal systems. The projects must be in rural communities with 10,000 or fewer residents.

The County Legislature is poised to accept more than $2.5 million in federal grants to help pay for two bridge replacement projects, one in Pembroke and the other in Alabama.

In Pembroke, the current steel girder bridge with a steel grate deck over the Tonawanda Creek will be removed and replaced at a total cost of 2,033,050. A federal grant will pay for $1,651,100 of the replacement with state aid covering $389,200, and the county picking up the final $9,550 of the tab.

In Alabama, the county will replace the Judge Road Bridge over Whitney Creek. The cost is $1,183,000. Federal aid is $946,400, with state aid at $177,450 and a local share of $59,150, which will come from sale tax revenue.

In both cases, the federal aid is capped at 80 percent of the cost of the project.

The Pratt Road Bridge was built in 1971, the Judge Road Bridge in 1978.

Lu Engineers, in Rochester, will be retained as consultants on the Judge Road Bridge at a cost of $162,063.91.

The resolutions for these projects were approved unanimously by the Public Service Committee on Monday and will now go to the full Legislature for approval.

Also on Monday, the committee recommended the county accept a $200,000 grant from NYS Ag & Markets for improvements to the Animal Shelter, which is now 20 years old.

The committee also authorized the transfer, pending full Legislature approval, of $40,000 oil and stone funds to the salt fund. Deputy Highway Superintendent Dave Wozniak said the transfer is necessary to help replenish the road salt supply before the fall and that the transfer would have no significant impact on planned road resurfacing projects this summer. A couple of minor projects, including a parking lot at the County Park, would be delayed for a season.

There are 95 bridges and 256 culverts in the county's infrastructure inventory and combined they're worth about $70 million, County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens told members of the Public Service Committee on Monday.

That's a conservative estimate, Hens said.

He arrived at the number based on the amount spent on bridge and culvert replacement over the past three years without adjusting for inflation.  

Genesee County is one of three counties in the state that are economically responsible for all bridges and culverts on non-state roads, including those in towns and villages. In every other county, towns and villages must maintain and replace old bridges.

It's been that way since 1939 when the board of supervisors passed legislation giving county control of bridges and culverts.

A bridge (defined as more than 20 feet long) can be expected to have a safe, useful life of 50 years. The average bridge in the county was constructed in 1968, Hens said.

To keep up with the replacement cycle of bridges, the county needs to replace two bridges a year but in recent years, with cuts in federal aid, the county has only been able to replace one bridge a year.

Typically, state and federal aid helps pay for bridge and culvert replacement but as that aid is cut back, the county may need to turn to other sources of local revenue, such as sales tax.

A water main break, reportedly with significant flooding, is reported on North Street, in Le Roy.

A cellar pump detail is needed for 37 North St.

Le Roy Fire Department dispatched and the chief has requested all available manpower.

Monroe County Water Authority notified.

UPDATE 6:22 p.m.: Pavilion requested to fill in at Le Roy's fire hall.

UPDATE 6:24 p.m.: A Monroe County water crew is 30 minutes from the scene and is estimating a four- to six-hour repair window.

UPDATE 6:25 p.m.: Water flow alarms have been triggered at two businesses in the area.

Submitted photo and press release:

 Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today joined legislators, highway superintendents and members of road repair crews from across the state to call for a $150 million increase to the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS).

They also want restoration of $65 million in Extreme Winter Recovery funds that Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to axe from this year’s budget.

“Western New York’s winters are brutal and it’s no surprise that potholes and road deterioration spread like wildfire every spring, so to cut these funds would rob us of the ability to provide safe, smooth and reliable transportation moving forward into the summer travel months,” Hawley said.

“CHIPS funding hasn’t increased in many years but state leaders have no issue dumping billions more into the dysfunctional MTA and expensive Downstate projects. This money is vital to Upstate and we are asking for a small increase relative to the entire budget which is projected near $170 billion this year. I am hopeful state leaders heed our message today.”