Removal of old bridge clears way for new one

By KERRY McAVOY, The Leader-Herald
CANAJOHARIE — The former steel-encased Route 10 bridge connecting the village with Palatine Bridge is no more.

Last week, work crews demolished the bridge that had been a staple of the area for some 60 years. A new two-lane concrete bridge is being installed with one lane already in place.

Work crews were removing the last bits of the old bridge from the Mohawk River on Monday. Piles of aged metal were stacked on the river’s edge, waiting to be taken away to their final resting place. An excavator and small boat worked in tandem to remove a few scraps from the old structure.

“We couldn’t start the other side of the bridge till the old one was dismantled,” state Department of Transportation Spokeswoman Alice Romanych said.

The old bridge took more to knock down than expected. Crews thought a few well-placed explosives would collapse it into the waiting Mohawk.

The explosives were placed on the pins that connected the bridge to support pillars. The workers hit the button, and while the bridge shook, it didn’t collapse.

The blast, however, made the bridge unstable enough to be pushed down.

A ramhoe was used to repeatedly hit the bridge until it finally collapsed into the river.

Contractors used hydroshears to cut the large pillars of steel into sections, which were then removed with a crane. Crews had to work long shifts to finish the work before precipitation and colder weather made the work too dangerous to finish.

An excavator was brought in Saturday to lift the remaining portion of the bridge out of the water.

Soon, divers will be sent into the river to find any sections that may have sunk following the removal of all known pieces. Romanych said workers are doing this to ensure the safety of those who use the canal.

The pieces of the bridge will be brought to a salvage yard in Utica, Romanych said.

Contractors can now begin work on the other side of the bridge. Romanych said two-way traffic is expected on the bridge by Nov. 1 at the latest.

Traffic on the Route 10 bridge is restricted to one lane going south from Palatine Bridge into Canajoharie.

“We know what an inconvenience this is,” Romanych said. “But if we had cars going the other way, the traffic would be backed up all the way to the Thruway.”

Romanych said the size of the bridge and the town were a deciding factor in choosing which lane to close. Romanych said engineers said because of the small width of Main Street and the size of the bridge, a traffic backup would occur if cars traveled north. The location of the Thruway also was a factor. The DOT wanted to ensure ease of travel from Route 5 to the Thruway.

Travelers looking to cross the Mohawk River from Canajoharie must now travel to Fort Plain, Nelliston or into Fultonville.

Romanych said crews will begin site cleanup next spring. They will be landscaping the areas around the bridge.

The entire project is expected to cost approximately $14 million.