County bridge 1077 on Harrison St. in Jamestown, viewed from Institute Street. (Image courtesy of Google Maps)
JAMESTOWN – Motorists that use Harrison Street in downtown Jamestown will have to find an alternate route of travel for several months as county highway crews work to replace a bridge starting in July.
As WRFA first reported in early May, the Harrison Street Bridge near Institute Street is overdue for replacement and it has finally made the list of projects for this year.
The Chautauqua County Department of Public Facilities says the bridge will be closed to traffic starting July 1, with the closure scheduled to last approximately five months with a plan to re-open the bridge in November 2019. As a result, Harrison Street between Foote Avenue and Main Street will be closed to thru traffic during construction and a detour will be posted utilizing Foote, Main, 2nd and 4th Streets. A separate truck detour will be posted as well due to the low clearances on the Railroad viaduct on Foote and Main Streets.
“The existing bridge has severely deteriorated as the original stone bridge foundations have reached the end of their useful life,” said Brad Bentley, Chautauqua County Director of Public Facilities. “When the replacement bridge is in place, the Harrison Street Bridge will have a safe crossing with no structural deficiencies and an expected service life of 50 to 75 years.”
The Harrison Street Bridge replacement project was submitted by Chautauqua County Department of Public Facilities to New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and was selected by the NYSDOT as a Locally Administered Federally Aided project. In being selected, the approximate $3 million cost of the bridge replacement project will be paid for by a combination of Federal, State, and Local funds, with over 95 percent of the cost being paid for by Federal and State funds.
The Chautauqua County Department of Public Facilities understands that this bridge replacement project will be an inconvenience to the traveling public and has made efforts to minimize the length of the time to complete this important infrastructure project.
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