NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Glen Island drawbridge will close to traffic this year and remain closed for almost three years, but officials have an ambitious plan to keep traffic both on the water and above the water moving.
There is little doubt that the Glen Island drawbridge, which was built in 1927, is in need of a major overhaul, but doing work on the historic span involves some unique challenges that make the project considerably more involved and more expensive than replacing a typical overpass.
Because the overpass separates a boat harbor from the Long Island Sound, the U.S. Coast Guard is insistent that boats be able to pass through the waterway while construction is underway. Boats taller than the clearance of the closed bridge can get to the Sound by going around the far side of Glen Island, but only during high tide (and that more treacherous, often rocky route leads to stranded vessels and water rescues nearly every season).
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The solution proposed involves building a temporary drawbridge beside the existing span. This considerably more complicated and expensive plan will let both boats and cars pass while the more than 2-year-long project is underway.
Building a temporary drawbridge while the permanent structure is closed is not unprecedented, but designers explained that the temporary bridge must be built to the same standards as any new bridge.
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But, if the “temporary” drawbridge is built to standards suitable to replace the existing bridge, then why isn’t it replacing the existing span permanently?
That brings us to another challenge of the massive project — the bridge’s historic status means that the esthetics of the bridge will remain unchanged, even as safety and technological upgrades are made. And that’s good news for park visitors who have come to see the nearly hundred-year-old bridge as something of an old friend.
Westchester County officials wanted to ensure that the charter of the bridge was maintained and historic preservation rules were followed. It doesn’t hurt that the designers behind the bridge’s rehabilitation are from the same firm that originally conceived the bridge nearly a century ago — though the partners’ names on the door have changed since then.
Westchester County Legislator Jewel Williams Johnson said that protecting the charm of the bridge while enhancing the safety of the bridge is a tall order, but one that will benefit everyone.
“It’s a bridge built in 1930; its last update was over 20 years ago. Structural engineering reports indicate there’s an urgent need to rehabilitate,” Williams Johnson said. “During this construction, which will create several new jobs, the city of New Rochelle will provide a temporary bridge and a construction base. There will be no significant impact on the footprint or design of the bridge. Updates include traffic railings, crash railings, barrier gates, a sidewalk, handrails, bridge painting, and new electromechanical work … At the Board of Legislators, safety is of tantamount importance. This is a wonderful access point to a wonderful park in the county, and we look forward to making access to the park safe for everyone to enjoy.”
Speaking in front of a group of about a dozen neighbors at a forum on the bridge project at the nearby New York Athletic Club, County Executive George Latimer said that the nearly $50 million project is the single biggest public works project of his tenure. He told those gathered that inconveniences are inherent with any project of this size, but that every effort has been made to make sure those inconvenience are mitigated, as evidenced in part by the innovative plan to keep traffic moving and the waterway unobstructed.
Those efforts haven’t convinced everyone that planners have kept their needs in mind.
Several people representing the Huguenot Yacht Club expressed concern over learning that the staging area for their popular youth sailing program is exactly where the temporary bridge is planned. Neighbors complained that although the bridge work is slated to start in May, the people most affected by the project haven’t been consulted at all about the plans.
Another challenge of this particular public works project might just offer something of a reprieve for wary neighbors. The firm leading the project, Hardest and Handover, says that because of strict environmental rules, the underwater construction needed to build the temporary bridge can’t begin until late October.
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