For More Information Contact:
Colleen Pillus
845-486-2000
Email: cpillus@dutchessny.gov
Poughkeepsie… The Dutchess County Department of Public Works (DPW) has announced work is scheduled to begin next week to replace the deteriorating County Bridge D-70R on Dover Furnace Road (CR 26) over the Metro North Railroad in the Town of Dover.
The nearly 100 year old bridge is to be replaced with a reinforced concrete three-sided structure. Work will include highway work that will raise the current road profile by several feet. Starting Monday, April 1st, motorists along this section of Dover Furnace Road (between Ore Bed Road and Vincent Road) will be detoured to NYS Route 22 then back to CR 26.
The original bridge is considered a historic structure because it is a substantially intact representative example of a Pratt pony truss design style, which was popular in late 19th and early 20th centuries. Pony truss bridges from this era cannot generally carry modern traffic, due to load and width limitations. However, these bridges can be rehabilitated for light duty use such as pedestrian bridges, hike and bike trails, driveway entrances and other uses. The original D-70R bridge will be rehabbed and stored until a future use can be identified.
Construction will be ongoing throughout the spring and summer with work expected to be complete by early fall 2013.
Dover Furnace Road averages approximately 460 cars per day.
The low bid award for the bridge replacement project totals $1.95 million. The project is eligible for state and federal reimbursement in excess of 80% of the project cost.
