RHS Footbridge Closed for Safety Reasons

closed the footbridge that connects the athletic fields to the main high school campus Friday due to safety reasons, officials said.

According to Superintendent Daniel Fishbein, the engineer who had drafted the original January 2009 report (attached) that found erosion problems but ultimately stated the bridge was strong enough for pedestrian traffic and vehicles under 4,000 lbs., reinspected the bridge after a recent resident complaint.

"We were waiting for the [brook's] water to lower for some time now," Fishbein said. "We got there, we saw there was further deterioration. He told us very clearly the bridge is not in any imminent danger. But to err on the side of caution he decided to close the bridge."

Fishbein said the district will be looking further to determine the process to reopen the bridge, which will likely require bidding a contractor to fix structural issues. The engineer, from based in Nanuet, NY, inspected the bridge after and did not find further deterioration over the summer, Fishbein said, so the damage must be since then. FEMA has allowed the district to amend the claim it filed.

For vocal neighbors, Friday's move signifies an 'I-told-you-so' moment.

"Essentially, I feel the superintendent has failed to perform one of his basic functions of providing a safe environment for children," said Beverly Road neighbor Jim Morgan, one of a vocal group of neighbors who have for months taken umbrage with the district's inaction on fixing the bridge, along with other assorted fields-related matters.

"For whatever reason the bridge was closed, it was closed because it was considered a safety hazard," Morgan said. "The superintendent has had this information for three years. Six months ago I brought it to the board's attention and nobody took any action until today."

Asked if the district has neglected safety issues as neighbors contend, Fishbein replied 'no'.

"This is something we've always said we'd like to address after the bond referendum is done if there's money left over to use," he said Friday.

The district . It elected to repair the roof of , and stated that if there was money left over, it would look at potentially fixing the bridge. Fishbein had no ballpark figure on what it would cost to repair the bridge when asked Friday.

According to the 2009 engineering report, there are "significant" deterioration problems on the southern side of the bridge, erosion damage to the flood-happy brook banks near it, exposed girders, railings not in code compliance, and other issues. Bollards were placed to prevent vehicular traffic earlier this year.

In an interview, Morgan said he personally believed the bridge was still in good enough condition for students to walk across.

It's the simplest route for many students coming from the Graydon parking lot and is the main causeway for athletic teams moving through the campus. But with the closure – prompted by Heermance Place neighbor Tom Kossoff's appeal to state officials – new problems have emerged, he said.

Neighbors have keyed in on the possibility of students seeing the closure as a challenge getting across, which creates its own safety threat. Several said teens will walk atop the 4-inch gas pipe petruding out the westerly side of the bridge, using it to then waltz across the edge of the bridge, holding the railings.

"They've got to provide some sort of security on that bridge until they can seal off the gas line," such as a fence, Morgan said.

Pedestrian traffic is now rerouted to East Ridgewood Avenue, or if students choose, traversing through the right-of-way or trespassing through backyards.

The engineering report conducted in 2009 suggested the district prepare an "alternative approach" for the students to get to Stevens. No "alternative approach" has yet been developed.

"This has nothing to do if you're in favor of the fields, not in favor of the fields, in favor of the lights, not in favor of the lights...this is a basic, basic safety issue of protecting our children," said Morgan, who applied to become a BOE member when Charlie Reilly resigned in September.

"There's no political aspect to it, there's no personal aspect to it. It is basic safety and these people knew about this and chose to ignore it for for three years, and the Board of Education ignored it for six months."

Neighbors are expected to address the issue at the school board public meeting Monday night.