You can’t get there from here – the old joke is beginning to
ring true to motorists in Bradford.
On Monday, City Clerk John Peterson contacted The Era to notify
the public that due to conditional problems, the Kennedy Street
bridge near Hull Electric must be immediately closed to
traffic.
“For right now, we’re going to close the entire bridge,”
Peterson said. The bridge was recently inspected and the western
beam under the bridge was found to be in poor condition.
“The pedestrian sidewalk will remain open on the Davis Street
side,” he said, explaining the walk will be closed on the eastern
side.
“The recommendation is that the bridge be closed to all
vehicular traffic,” he said. “We may be able to explore reopening
one lane – the one closer to the Davis Street side. It may be a
consideration.”
The bridge had been posted at five tons since 2004 because of
its deteriorating condition. However, there have not been funds
available to address repairs and the “salty winters” just keep
coming.
“Our bridges were built in the mid-1950s,” Peterson said, “they
were all built in pretty much the same time frame. They are all
going to pot at the same time. They just don’t last forever.”
Bridges on Barbour, East Main and Mill streets had been replaced
several years ago under a state 12-year transportation plan.
“We just received notification towards the end of last week that
Kennedy Street was approved on the state’s 12-year plan,” Peterson
said. However, that would mean the project would not be addressed
until 2009.
“We’re going to look at some other options,” he said, adding
that will be a long time to have a city street out of commission –
especially with street closures because of the U.S. Route 219
construction that will be going on for two years.
One big problem is that costs have increased drastically with
this sort of project, and an estimate from a few years ago had the
Kennedy Street project tagged at $750,000.
“It’s not cheap,” Peterson said.
The inspection also found that the Elm Street bridge is
deteriorating. To lengthen that bridge’s lifespan, the weight limit
has been reduced from 12 tons to five tons.
“Davis Street is open,” Peterson said, adding there are still a
few ways to get around the city. “It will be one of the main
bridges for a while.”
Currently, Elm, Main and Forman streets have been closed
intermittently while work continues on the Route 219 overpass. Mill
Street will remain closed throughout the project.
