Owego Street Bridge - Spencer, NY
Posted by: 
ripraff
N 42° 12.667 W 076° 29.503
18T E 376867 N 4674293
This is a more modern bridge, not on the historic bridge sites. There was concern about using the bridge as a detour for route 96 due to the heavy traffic.
Waymark Code: WMQTYQ
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 03/29/2016
Views: 1
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"The South Hill bridge already has a sister bridge in Spencer, the Owego Street bridge. South Hill is conceived to be very similar to Owego Street when finished. However, the future of the Owego Street bridge again came up on February 10, as the New York Department of Transportation (DOT) is fast approaching the major detour and traffic headache for commuters they're planning for 2015. The Route 96 bridge which runs next to Tioga State Bank's 1 N. Main St.office downtown in Spencer is on tap to be replaced this year. Owego Street is the planned detour during construction...During the February 10 meeting Council members again voiced their concerns about the greatly increased traffic which the Owego Street bridge is to be subjected to. Thayer said a letter from DOT has been received by the Town, requesting approval to use Owego Street. Fulkerson said Spencer has an interest in seeing the bridge returned to its pre-detour state after construction is completed. The issue is all the more imperative as the town is still paying an outstanding bond of the bridge of approximately $150,000.
Thayer said DOT has done a survey of the Owego Street bridge, taking measurements and photographing the bridge, including the abutments. Those abutments are the real concern for Fulkerson, as traffic including heavy trucks beats down the bridge during the detour. Thayer said the bridge's designer has expressed concerns about the amount of vibration the bridge will be subjected to as well.
The Council had put off a decision to have an independent assessment of the bridge undertaken, which would cost approximately $3,500. Smith felt that having the bridge inspected before and after the detour would be a good idea at that cost. With construction looming, the board is looking into its options before signing an agreement with DOT for use of the Owego Street Bridge."