Bridge Project Update

Bridge Project Update
Rehabilitation of Jamestown Railroad Bridges
By Nicholas Pircio

Bridge work will dot the landscape in the City of Jamestown not only this summer, but next year as well. Drivers should not be surprised when they experience detours because of the construction.

Three of the projects involve rehabilitation of railroad bridges, which means the work is being funded by the railroad. Two are getting done this year; the third will wait until next year, according to Mark Schlemmer, who’s with the Jamestown Department of Public Works.

On the agenda for work this year are the railroad bridge over North Main Street, and the rail bridge over Buffalo Street. Schlemmer said next year’s project is the rail bridge over Foote Avenue.

A fourth bridge project is underway right now, which is the Main Street Bridge over the Chadakoin River. The work there is being overseen by Chautauqua County, with the bridge being closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic. “The schedule on that is for it to be reopened in November of this year,” according to Schlemmer. It’s a complete bridge rehabilitation, and will take more time to complete than a typical bridge project. That’s because of the historical significance of the two stone arches that go over the river. “They’re basically reusing the whole stone façade, taking it off stone by stone. They’ll rebuild the structure of the bridge and then put the stones back. It will look very similar to what’s there now.”

When asked about the need to repair the railroad bridges, Schlemmer said there were structural issues, since concrete on the bridges was falling and some rebar was exposed. “So the repairs to those bridges are mostly facade-type work, with partial structural rehab. They are not tearing the whole thing down; they’re just re-doing the worst of small sections.” The railroad bridges are still being used by trains on a weekly basis as the work is being done, unlike the street bridge over the river, which is being totally dismantled and rebuilt, according to Schlemmer.

As for traffic disruptions, Schlemmer said the roads that go under the rail bridges, both at Buffalo and Main Streets, are closed to motor vehicle traffic while the work is being done. That’s because most of the work is to the bridge underside, which requires scaffolding and equipment being set up in the street. He said the good news is, for the rail bridge at Main Street, the railroad is taking advantage of the work taking place at the nearby Main Street road bridge over the Chadakoin River, which is already closed.

Schlemmer noted a target completion date of mid-June to finish the work at the Buffalo Street Bridge and re-open the street to traffic. For next year’s project, Foote Avenue will be closed down to vehicular traffic because of work at the rail bridge. “That will probably be in late spring or early summer of next year.”