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Southern Ulster Times, Wednesday, January 10, 2018
New Plattekill bridge opens
By MARK REYNOLDS
[email protected]
Last July the NYS Thruway Authority,
in collaboration with the NYS Department
of Transportation [DOT], began replacing
a 60 year old bridge in Plattekill that
traverses the Thruway. The new Route
32 bridge was finished and opened in late
December 2017. It is estimated that more
than 6,400 vehicles cross this bridge on a
daily basis.
In a prepared statement, NYS
Thruway Authority Acting Executive
Director Matthew J. Driscoll said, “The
new Route 32 bridge is reopening as a
safer, improved crossing for motorists
to get to their destination. Projects such
as this one demonstrate a commitment
by the Thruway Authority to reinvest
toll dollars into infrastructure projects to
keep our roadways safe.”
The old bridge was replaced with a
two-span, 170 foot long structure that has
an estimated life span of 75 years. The
new safety features include an increased
height clearance for vehicular traffic and
increased shoulder widths on Route 32. In
addition, the guide rails on the bridge and
highway approaches were upgraded.
Paul A. Karas, Acting Commissioner
of the NYS DOT, said “Governor
Cuomo knows the importance of a
robust transportation system and he’s
getting projects done, strengthening and
modernizing bridges and highways across
New York State. This new bridge will
serve as a safe link for local travelers for
generations, supporting commerce and
making sure people can get to where they
need to go.”
The $4.8 million price tag is not only
for the Route 32 bridge replacement but
also for rehabilitation work on the Union
Avenue Bridge in Newburgh that also
runs over the Thruway. Work on this
second bridge is slated to start in the
spring, with completion by mid May.
Plattekill Supervisor Joe Croce said
the detour plan the town established
during the construction “worked out very
well. There were no major incidents or
A new bridge in Plattekill that was built over the NYS Thruway opened to local traffic late last month.
major accidents.”
Croce said when the detour plan was
announced, “people were worried about
that and rightfully so; their concerns were
legitimate. We did a lot on enforcement
for speeding.”
Croce said during construction there
was more traffic on the Plattekill Ardonia
Road.
“I kind of anticipated that and that
didn’t make me happy because I think the
detour we set up was a much safer detour.
Plattekill Ardonia has a lot of turns in it
and I was very concerned about the hill
where it meets Route 44/55,” he said.
Croce said he is pleased the bridge is
now open.
“I’m glad it’s over. It was a lot to go
through,” he said.
Dave O’Daye lives on Marcias Way
that is quite close to the bridge. He could
see and hear the work, which was done at
night.
“In the beginning of the summer it
was loud when they were tearing it apart
using a jackhammer and an excavator
and for five or ten days it was bad,” he
said.
O’Daye said construction sounds
travel long distances, pointing out that
“when they were doing the bridge in
Wallkill you could hear it here, same
thing.”
Highland woman killed in crash with UCAT bus
A 74-year-old Highland woman was identified Tuesday
as the victim of a car crash with an Ulster County Area
Transit Bus on Monday afternoon.
State Police said Barbara Hyde was driving west on
Route 28 in the Town of Shandaken at 2:18 p.m. when she
lost control on the snow covered road and crossed into
the eastbound lane striking the UCAT bus traveling east.
Hyde was pronounced dead at the scene and her
passenger was transported to MidHudson Regional
Hospital in Poughkeepsie where she is listed in critical
condition.
The driver of the bus was not injured. There were no
passengers on the bus.
State Police were assisted by the Ulster County
Sheriff’s Office, Olive and Shandaken police and Olive
and Phoenicia fire departments.