MAMARONECK, NY — It was fortunate that no one was killed when heavy downpours caused the Sheldrake River to overflow its banks and flood nearby streets and neighborhoods in a matter of minutes last month — there is every reason to believe that the community might not be so lucky next time, but a bridge project intended to address dangers in the flood-prone area has been abruptly halted.
On Friday afternoon, the Town of Mamaroneck announced that the Waverly Ave. Bridge project has been stopped.
Because the NYSDOT identified the Waverly Ave. Bridge as being structurally deficient, the bridge’s owner, the Town of Mamaroneck, has been undertaking a $4.54 million project to replace it.
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The bridge has also been identified as a chokepoint when the Sheldrake River rises, sending floodwaters into nearby homes. The bridge project also sought to address the flooding issue.
SEE ALSO: Waverly Avenue Bridge Will Close Friday As Crews Replace The Span
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Design of the new bridge incorporated recommendations from the 2017 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Flood Risk Management Final Report. The report called for replacing the bridge with a longer span and deeper foundations, which will eventually allow the Army Corps of Engineers’ plans to widen the channel.
The Town of Mamaroneck received grants for the project in the amounts of $1.75 million through the NYS Department of Transportation BridgeNY program and $2.084 million through Westchester County’s Flood Mitigation Grant program.
SEE ALSO: Hard Work Of Flood Recovery As Attention Moves To The Next Storm
Bi-weekly construction meetings were already scheduled to be held during the length of the project with the project team (including representatives from both the Town of Mamaroneck and the Village of Mamaroneck).
The Town of Mamaroneck says that its contractor attempted to start work by installing necessary barricades at the bridge.
According to the town, the Village of Mamaroneck removed the barricades without permission, demanding that the town pay around $750,000 to the village to cover police overtime for traffic control, an amount which the town describes as “out of line and unjustified.”
The town added that it recognizes the importance of traffic control in the affected area, and that it is attempting to resolve the situation.
However, the town also says that the Mamaroneck Village Manager, Jerry Barberio, has refused to attend meetings between the town and village, meaning that there is no one from the village with authority to make the final decision at meetings.
Barberio disputed the town’s assertion, telling Patch that each of the five city officials and legal representatives who attended the meetings “are and have Village authority.” He said the village’s representatives were united and adamant in the position that the bridge cannot be closed to traffic until there are traffic control measures in place that are satisfactory.
The town says it is attempting to resolve this issue quickly for the benefit of the community but needs cooperation from the village to do so.
Village of Mamaroneck Mayor Tom Murphy said that the village is eager to see the bridge project get underway, but not at the expense of safety.
“The Village could not in good conscience leave the bridge open and put the safety of our children walking to school, other pedestrians and motorists in jeopardy,” Murphy said in a statement released Friday evening. “Our Police Chief is adamant that the only way to ensure safety is with a police detail for an extended period of time until traffic patterns change … Yesterday the Assistant Village Manager, the Village Attorney, the Police Chief, the head of DPW and the Village Engineer all met with the Town staff. Mamaroneck Town continued to refuse to make any reasonable offer to fund the needed police overtime at that meeting. The meeting was ended with the Town saying they would get back to us with a plan. So far today no plan has been presented.”
According to Murphy, the ball is very much in the Town of Mamaroneck’s court.
“We stand ready to bring this to a reasonable conclusion when the Town realizes that the police detail is needed for the protection of all of our residents,” Murphy wrote. “I am confident that the bridge work will soon resume but the Town MUST accept its safety responsibilities!!”
Earlier this week, in his presentation of his report to the Village of Mamaroneck Board of Trustees on Monday, among other items regarding the Town of Mamaroneck, Village Manager Barberio addressed the town not funding traffic control at the Waverly Ave. Bridge.
“On Friday after talking to the Waverly Ave. bridge contractor, I learned the Town did not fund police detail for traffic control for residents driving to MAS or the train station or driving through the Village,” Barberio wrote in his report. “I know, and Mr. Sarnoff and Chief DiRuzza will confirm, that traffic control aspect of the bridge project and include it in the approved traffic plan. We are actively working on a plan to remedy that oversight based on emails between the Mayor and the Town Supervisor. The Mayor is very strong in our position and I appreciate that about him. In the meantime, until the Town of Mamaroneck funds the police traffic control, we will not have officers at the intersections. If this goes on too long, I will have no choice but to rescind the contractor’s road opening permit.”
Updated at 7:27 p.m. to include clarification from Village Manager Jerry Barberio about the full authority of officials in attendance at meetings with the Town of Mamaroneck. Comments from Village of Mamaronek Mayor Tom Murphy were also included.
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