County legislator Rodriguez did get back to the New Paltz Times, saying that he was “trying to compile information” before making any official reports. “What I’ve learned from [deputy county executive] Bob Sudlow is that the DOT [Department of Transportation] did inspect the bridge this spring. It is safe. There were some repairs done, but no, it’s not going to fall down.”
Rodriguez noted that “It was painted a long time ago, and while that may seem like a cosmetic issue on one hand, which is very valid, it’s also a structural concern, as the paint helps to seal the bridge and protect it. I know that Bob [Sudlow] is trying to put together a cost analysis for what it would take to get the bridge painted.”
When asked about the status of the bridge and its cosmetic and structural integrity, mayor Jason West said, “Since it is a county-owned bridge, the village does not get annual bridge inspection reports. This [concerns and questions from the press] made me realize that I need to contact the county and ask that we get copies as well. Even though we have no jurisdiction over the bridge, I want to have answers for my constituents.”
That said, West did make calls to the County Department of Public Works (DPW) and spoke with Bleu Terwilliger, head of the village’s DPW. “Again, this is not in our jurisdiction; but Bleu said that repairs were made, that it was his understanding that there were more repair plans slated for the bridge, and that he was told it was one of the worst bridges, in terms of structural integrity, in the county.”
Former supervisor Toni Hokanson said that she too recalled speaking with the County Planning Department’s transportation planner, and that there was a “plan for staged repairs within the next few years.”
West said that this conversation could have a “silver lining.” “The best-case scenario is that the bridge is in great shape and just needs a paint job,” he said. “But if there are plans to rehab it, and we have time to plan, and find funding to augment whatever the county has allotted, I would love to see us build a stone bridge, or one that reflects our community character. If they can turn a 19th-century railroad bridge into the longest elevated walkway in the world [Walkway Over the Hudson], then I think we can work together to build a safe, attractive bridge that reflects our unique character.”
Another concern is where the plans are for Route 299 to be widened and allow for a bike lane for safe cycling and pedestrian traffic along the heavily used corridor. “Here I am renting bikes and selling bikes, yet I’m constantly dissuading people from riding to the County Pool or the Preserve and Minnewaska along Route 299. It’s too dangerous,” said Newman. “We need that road widened for safe, accessible non-vehicular traffic.”
Gottlieb concurred. “That said, my heart clamors to see a bridge in good shape and a 299 and Libertyville Road on which we and our children can safely ride our bikes. The County Pool, Field of Dreams and Mohonk Gatehouse should be accessible to other than automobiles and cyclists willing to take high risks. Our local governments and citizen committees put considerable energy into events, but improvements such as maintaining the bridge and improving the roads for access can be celebrated every day. Yes, I contributed to the fireworks and the village celebration, but I would have rather donated more money to a pool to make things of lasting value that benefit the largest segments of our citizenry.”
The widening of Route 299, a state-owned road, with a bicycle lane was a high priority in the five-year, DOT-funded $500,000 Land Use and Transportation Study that was adopted by both the town and village boards. “That project was on the list, but honestly, I don’t know where it stands now,” said Rodriguez. “There is every imaginable reason in the world to create a bike lane and widen that road; the issue is the funding in the current environmental climate we’re in. I pass no less than 50 cyclists on a weekend driving from New Paltz over the mountain, and it’s wonderful that they’re exercising and getting out of their cars and enjoying our scenic roads and parks, but it’s dangerous.”
“They haven’t finished the job,” said Gottlieb. “They built a County Pool, they have the Field of Dreams, and yet they have no safe way for people to get there, unless they get in a car.” West concurred. “Again, that’s out of our jurisdiction, but with anything like this that the community feels strongly about — and in this case, the Land Use and Transportation study has strongly recommended — then it requires the political will to get the job done.”
To that end, West said that the village’s newly hired planner is hard at work going over the Land Use and Transportation recommendations. “The great thing about having a trained planner on staff and in the office is that if grant sources come up, he can jump on it. He can reach out to other agencies. He can help put all of these plans, that we paid for, into fruition when the opportunity arises.”
“I think that attitudes are changing, like with the Walkway and the extension and interconnections of our various rail trails,” said Newman. “People are willing to get out of their cars and walk or get on a bike for exercise, pleasure or simply to get from Point A to Point B, if they have a safe way to do so. I’d love to see that road widened and a bike lane put in. I’d love to see kids be able to safely ride to the County Pool, or road cyclists to get up to the mountains without having to get into a car.”
Rodriguez said again that every time “the Feds cut funding to the State, then the State cuts funding to its various regions, and everything that had been scheduled as a ‘go’ becomes pushed back to the outer years. It’s so frustrating. We can have the plan, have the funding, be ready to go — like the approved project to widen South Putt Corners Road and create a bike/pedestrian lane and shoulder in 2012 — and then, boom! Now it’s pushed back to 2015. At any moment the State or the Feds can pull the rug out from under us.”
Gottlieb said, “Instead of coming together to fight things, it would be so amazing if we can together to build something. This [widening Route 299 with a bike lane] is a win/win/win! Let’s make it happen.”
