SPEAKING OF BRIDGES...
Feb. 1 Deadline for Public Comments Regarding Portageville Bridge ReplacementFriday, January 18, 2012
Ironically, I became aware of the demolition of the Hojack swing bridge after visiting the Rochester Subway site for an article about another bridge - the Portageville railroad bridge just south of Upper Falls in Letchworth State Park.
The Portageville railroad bridge was built in 1875 to replace a previous wooden bridge that had been destroyed in a fire. Since the park was created in 1907 (after William Pryor Letchworth gave his 1000 acre estate to New York State as public parklands) the bridge has been a part of the park since the beginning, and has long since become an accepted part of the Upper Falls viewshed. I may have only had two mediocre photos of the Hojack swing bridge - but I have many photos of the Portageville bridge.
In 2008 a study showed that the bridge is deteriorating and the state is currently looking at alternatives. Repairing and upgrading the existing bridge is neither financially nor technically feasible. Currently the state is looking at two main options: building a new bridge slightly south of the current one and demolishing the current bridge, or building the new bridge while leaving the current bridge standing.
As iconic as the current bridge is, I have to admit I like the proposed replacement:
(photo/visualization courtesy of NYS DOT)
A number of arguments can be presented for saving the current bridge, in particular the suggestion has been made to turn it into a pedestrian walkway similar to the very successful Walkway Over the Hudson. I think it would be fantastic to have a way for people to enjoy the view down the gorge from above Upper Falls without taking the risk of going out on the railroad bridge. On the other hand, I think the view with both bridges is kind of ugly.
(photo/visualization courtesy of NYS DOT)
Either bridge alone frames the view over the falls fairly nicely, but together they clash. I also suspect that it would take a lot of work and money to bring the current bridge up to the safety standards it would need to meet - the railroad bridge that was used for the Walkway Over the Hudson was in incredibly good shape to begin with. The same was true for the Rosendale railroad trestle, which was acquired by the Walkill Valley Land Trust in 2009 already decked for half its length, declared unsafe in 2010, and closed to pedestrians for almost 3 years while the Trust raised the 1.4 million dollars it needs to renovate the upper structure. Based on the 2008 inspection it seems likely substantially more work would need to be done on the Portageville bridge.
So I'm in favor of an alternate proposition - construct the new bridge and include some sort of walkway or viewing platform in the bridge support structure, and demolish the old bridge I've seen this suggested by several other people; hopefully enough will submit comments to that effect to the DOT will take it seriously and put pressure on Norfolk Southern. Having said that, a very convincing argument for keeping both bridges has been put forth by Donald Pevsner, a railroad preservationist, transportation lawyer, tour operator and former syndicated columnist for Universal Press Syndicate. Either way, my hope is that both the DOT and Norfolk Southern will take the creation of a new walkway/viewing area very seriously.
NYSDOT will make their decision based on the findings of the DEIS and public comments. Comments are due Friday, February 1, 2013 at the address below:
Raymond F. Hessinger, P.E.
Director, Freight & Passenger Rail Bureau
New York State Department of Transportation
50 Wolf Road, POD 54
Albany, New York 12232
-or-
JMH
