PLYMOUTH – It would cost the roughly $225,000 to repair the old state Rt. 23 bridge in the Town of Plymouth, Chenango County Public Works Director Randy Gibbon said.
It will cost about $75,000 to remove it, he told Plymouth residents at the town meeting Monday.
About 40 cars pass over the bridge twice daily to connect to state Rt. 23, the county estimates. One resident says three school buses use it regularly.
“It’s really a convenience bridge,” said Gibbon.
The county is seeking to abandon the span, pending consent from two nearby landowners. Gibbon said he also wants to make sure there isn’t strong public sentiment against it before the county moves ahead.
“It’s not a done deal. This is what we’re looking at,” he said. “My concern is to try and plan ahead. We’d rather plan ahead for it before there’s an emergency situation.”
The 81-year-old bridge is currently safe to drive over, Gibbon says, but at least one of its concrete abutments will likely need repairs in the next five years. To get rid of it and save $175,000 that can be used on other projects “would be worth our while,” he said.
“It’s 81 years old,” said Louis Benson, one of the two residents who has to sign-off on the abandonment before it’s official. “I don’t like it, but you can’t fight it.”
An alternate route would detour travelers a half mile east to Rt. 23, Gibbon explained. Those headed to and from Norwich would not see much difference in their travel time, he said.
