MORIAH — With emergency repairs complete, the Moriah Center Bridge will be paved in the next few days.
Work to install a temporary bridge began Monday, Aug. 13, and the span opened Friday, with rough wooden planks in place.
The span had to be repaired so school buses and fire trucks could cross, Essex County Department of Public Works Superintendent Anthony LaVigne said.
“It was addressed quickly and professionally, with a lot of hard work.”
A State Department of Transportation inspection of the high-traffic span caused its weight limit to be reduced to 5 tons at the beginning of the month.
“One red flag was issued for the Moriah Center Bridge,” he said.
The bridge connects the town’s Mineville and Witherbee hamlets with the rest of the community.
DOT said the red flagging was due to corrosion that destroyed sections of the support steel under the span.
The Moriah Center Bridge is slated for replacement with a new structure in mid 2013.
The bridge on dead-end Gochey Road in Minerva was also red flagged, LaVigne said.
That span will be replaced as soon as possible and is now open for for foot traffic only, he said.
Supervisor Sue Montgomery Corey (D-Minerva) told LaVigne that one resident near the Gochey Bridge asked for better lighting so drivers can see it’s closed.
“We’re looking into options for lighting,” LaVigne said.
He said a gas-powered generator might be too noisy and could disturb residents.
Email Lohr McKinstry: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com
