Mt. Vernon Orders 2 'Imminently Dangerous' Bridges Closed To Traffic

MOUNT VERNON, NY — Getting around on the Sound Shore will be a little trickier for the near future, but officials say the abrupt closure of two overpasses is a matter of public safety.

Late Wednesday night, the City of Mount Vernon announced that Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard has ordered the immediate closure of the Fulton Ave. (between Beekman & E. Third St.) and E. Third St. (between Hartford & Langdon) bridges/overpasses and rerouting of traffic on the city's southeast side. This was in response to the NYS Department of Transportation's reports citing concerns for the structural integrity of these bridges.

"We are acting to protect public safety," Mayor Patterson-Howard said. "We know this is a heavily trafficked route for private and commercial vehicles and the planned detours will cause some inconvenience, but based on the state’s structural reports, we cannot take the risk of road failure under the continued passage of overweight vehicles. Despite decades of temporary fixes, the City’s historic underinvestment in its infrastructure has manifested in yet another condition imminently dangerous to the safety and welfare of our residents and visitors. As the Mayor of these legacy problems, I cannot consciously ignore these dangers as they continue to emerge much to our collective exasperation."

Mount Vernon officials said they will be posting the full details of the maintenance and protection, detoured traffic patterns and bus routes on its website and social media to minimize driver and rider inconvenience and traffic congestion and delays. The city said it is also working with Westchester County, the Beeline Bus System and the countywide emergency response divisions to ensure access to public transportation and safety services.

"Within the next 24 hours, we will mobilize our resources to close all access to vehicular traffic as it is an immediate concern to the health and safety of our residents," Commissioner Damani Bush added. "There is no easy solution to replacing century-old underground supports on the remnants of a 1912 structure. Still, we are working closely with the NYS Department of Transportation to complete the repairs necessary to deactivate the associated red flag conditions and are researching all available channels for funding to finance the repairs. Moving forward, the preservation of these repairs and additional long-term solutions will be included in the City’s capital and infrastructure plans to ensure safe vehicle passage for decades to come."