EDINBURG - A rally in Albany on Tuesday intended to raise awareness about the state's dilapidated bridges was the latest step in an effort by politicians, Great Sacandaga Lake-area residents and emergency responders to encourage the state to build a new Batchellerville Bridge.

Several state senators and assemblymen, including state Sen. Hugh T. Farley, R-Niskayuna, attended the rally. Residents of the Crown Point area, where a bridge from New York to Vermont across Lake Champlain was recently closed for good, also took part.

"This bridge plays a crucial role in the regional economy and in the lives of full-time and seasonal residents," Farley said at the rally. "The current restrictions on the bridge, not to mention the threat of future closure, present serious public safety concerns. The time to address this situation is now, rather than having to react to the traumatic impact of a closure."

Batchellerville Bridge Action Coalition President Peter Van Avery, who has worked for years to encourage the state to build a new bridge, said the rally and other recent events have helped constitute one of the biggest public pushes to build a new structure.

"I really think the emergency responders in Edinburg have done the community a tremendous service," he said.

Edinburg Emergency Medical Services and Edinburg Volunteer Fire Department officials have created what they call a Bridge of Life Committee, which is intended to inform people about the potential emergencies that could happen if the 79-year-old bridge is not replaced soon.

Over the summer, the state limited traffic on the bridge to one lane at a time and reduced the weight limit to 15 tons. The new weight limit means the local firefighters needs to pump water out of some of their trucks before they cross the bridge, then refill the tanks once they get to the other side. That process can take more than 30 minutes.

Like the Crown Point bridge that was shut down, the Batchellerville Bridge is labeled structurally deficient. A database on the state Department of Transportation Web site lists the Batchellerville Bridge as having an ever poorer condition rating, 3.085, than the Crown Point bridge, which is rated 3.375 on DOT's scale of 1 to 7. A condition rating of 5 to 7 is good; a rating lower than 5 is considered deficient.

Bridge of Life representatives conducted a public information session Oct. 30 and held a rally on the bridge the following Saturday, during which residents came to walk across the structure.

Members of Edinburg EMS sent a letter to Gov. David Paterson, and Edinburg Volunteer Fire Chief Wayne Seelow said U.S. Rep. Scott Murphy, D-Glens Falls, sent a letter to every member of the Fire Department soon after the event on the bridge.

"We definitely made an impact," he said. "They're listening now."

State Department of Transportation spokesman Peter Van Keuren said the state is continuing to work on a bridge redesign, and officials hope to have the plans complete by the beginning of next year.

Bids that came in one year ago estimated a new bridge would cost about $64 million. The state is looking to reduce the cost to $49 million by using a design with fewer piers.

The state also could reduce costs by dropping concrete from the old bridge into the Sacandaga so it does not need to be carted away.

Van Avery said the words of several politicians at the rally personally encouraged him.

"They seemed confident that the money for the new Batchellerville Bridge would be coming," Van Avery said.

About $40 million in federal money has already been pledged toward the bridge, and Van Avery said he hopes the state can contribute an additional $10 million. If it does not do so soon, he said, the project could lose the $40 million for good.

Zach Subar covers rural Fulton County news. He can be reached at ruralnews@leaderherald.com.