by Kieron Kramer
In a letter dated January 17 the Acting Regional Director of the New York State Department of Transportation, Sam Zhou, informed District 5 County Legislators Stan Brownell and Lester Goodermote that NYSDOT does not have the funding available for improving the clearance on Route 22 where it goes under the Route 2 bridge in Petersburgh.
[private]The letter says, “We have done an extensive review of our files regarding the history of this location and conducted a field review as you requested. The bridge was originally constructed in 1931 and based on a review of our photographic record, we have determined that the signs indicating vertical clearances of 12’2″ northbound and 12’7″ southbound were installed sometime between 1975 and 1979. A resurfacing project on Route 22 in 1999 placed 2 1/2 inches of asphalt pavement. Upon completion of the project the clearance was measured and the posted clearances of 12’2″ northbound and 12′ 7″ southbound were determined to be appropriate. (It would appear that prior to the resurfacing the posted clearances were extremely conservative or the existing pavement may have been milled prior resurfacing).
Truck operators using a GPS intended for passenger vehicles rather than a GPS device for large commercial vehicles, which provides up to date information on low bridges and load posted bridges, place this bridge and many other low bridges in New York State and across the country in jeopardy of being impacted. We agree that the decision of truck operators to cross the centerline of Route 22 when passing under the Route 2 bridge is undesirable and in doing so are choosing to violate the Vehicle and Traffic Law as well as placing themselves and an oncoming motorist at risk.
While lowering the profile of Route 22 could result in the elimination of the height restriction, this would also require modifications to the ramp connecting Route 2 eastbound to Route 22 and from Route 22 to Route 2 westbound. The funding currently available to NYSDOT will not support a project of this nature at this time. We will take measures to enhance the visibility of all the existing signs providing information for motorists regarding the posted vertical clearance of this structure. In addition, we will post advance notice of the low clearance at this bridge by installing signs at the Route 43 intersection with Route 22 for northbound traffic and at the Route 346 intersection with Route 22 for southbound traffic.”
A copy of this letter was sent to Siegfried Krahforst, Petersburgh Town Supervisor.
It is clear to anybody truly familiar with Route 22 at the Route 2 bridge overpass that the modifications to the “ramp,” which is two way going east between Route 2 and 22 and west between Route 22 and 2, are fairly minor and how little adjustment would be needed. “Lowering the profile” of Route 22 approaching the bridge and under it is a larger job, but it is very short distance. Meanwhile, commercial truckers still run the risk of being ticketed at that location.
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