By Doug La Rocque
The Capital District Transportation Committee last week released its 2016-2021 draft Transportation Improvement Program, which includes two projects in Eastern Rensselaer County, both on Route 2 in the Town of Petersburgh. [private]The plan calls for scoping and preliminary design work to begin in 2019 for improvement or replacement of the arch style bridge that carries Route 2 over Route 22. Construction is slated to begin perhaps by 2021. The bridge has been struck many times by large trucks. 
Most of today’s tractor-trailer combinations are 13’6” in height, the bridge is marked at 12’2”. These vehicles currently have to slow down and cross under the bridge in the middle of the highway to safely pass through. The cost of the work is listed at 2.79 million dollars. Rensselaer County Legislative Chairman Stan Brownell, whose district includes Petersburgh, said several residents have approached him about the bridge. “They are up in arms because they want to keep the aesthetics the way it currently looks.” Brownell said he too would like to preserve the historical facade, but also said the height has to be raised so large trucks can pass under it in their own lane, without having to travel in the middle of the road. He said no plans have been released yet, but he will seek community input when the design phase begins. Also slated for repair work is a section of Route 2 near the Stewart Road intersection. That section of Route 2 keeps slipping down the hill. It has been fixed several times on an emergency basis. The draft said 1.72 million dollars in slope repair is planned in the next few years to stabilize it more permanently.[/private]