State Announces Funding To Repair Six Bridges In Putnam

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — To deal with severe weather and crumbling infrastructure, New York officials have pledged another hefty amount of assistance for local governments to work on some of their most urgent bridge and culvert issues. Grants are going to six projects in Putnam.

The state's BRIDGE NY initiative, which in this go-round includes $60.1 million total for the Hudson region, aims to make New York's local communities stronger, its infrastructure more resilient and more equipped to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

It also helps tackle the long list of bridges and culverts in bad shape.

The Putnam County projects:

• $2.152 million to the Town of Putnam Valley for the replacement of the Horton Hollow Road bridge over Canopus Creek.
• $1.496 million to Putnam County for the replacement of a Croton Falls Road culvert carrying Mud Pond Outlet.
• $1.476 million to Putnam County for the replacement of a Croton Falls Road culvert carrying Mud Pond Outlet.
• $1.5 million to Putnam County for the replacement of the Peekskill Hollow Road culvert carrying the tributary to Peekskill Hollow Creek.
• $1.3 million to the Town of Kent for the replacement of the Sagamore Drive culvert carrying the tributary to the West Branch Croton River.
• $1.27 million to the Town of Kent for the replacement of the Nimham Road culvert carrying the tributary to the Seven Hills Lake Outlet.

"We appreciate the funding finally coming into Putnam County for these bridges and culverts," Thomas Feighery, Interim Director of Department of Public Works, told Patch. "These projects are years in the making, and we’ve been looking for support from New York State for quite some time. It’s welcome news and we hope to see work begin sooner rather than later."

One in three bridges in the United States need major repair work or should be replaced, according to the 2022 report from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, which ranked New York 12th for the percent of structurally deficient bridges.

Why are the nation's bridges in such bad shape?

"The simple answer to your question is 'neglect,'" John Schneidawind, the ARTBA's vice president for public affairs, told Patch.

Rockland was the only New York county outside NYC with any bridges on the ARTBA's annual report's list of 200 Most Traveled U.S. Structurally Deficient Bridges:

• Interstate 87 over Rte 303
• Interstate 87 over Route 59 WB, Rte 59