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Courtesy:
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com
Sunday, 5/23/04
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Sunday, May 23, 2004
Prove railroad bridge can be reutilized
Someday, a local citizens group proclaims, you'll be able to walk or bicycle across the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge, high above the Hudson River, enjoying the breathtaking views in every direction.
That's an intriguing dream. But the organization is a long way from proving its plans are feasible.
Walkway Over the Hudson, which has owned the once-abandoned structure for several years, sees it as a potential link between growing trail networks on both sides of the river. For starters, new board Chairman Fred Schaeffer talks about opening to the public a section on the Highland side, and maybe installing an elevator at the Poughkeepsie end, to lift visitors up for a look around.
This could be a first small step toward a viable pedestrian bridge. Small steps are all that's possible at this point, with three big factors unresolved:
Liability -- Walkway's insurance on the bridge lapsed in 2001. Schaeffer is optimistic a new policy will soon be in place. But until there is, liability issues could be far greater than the group could handle, should there ever be a serious mishap. Even the pared idea of opening either end to the public exposes the group to legal risk.
Money -- The cost to repair the bridge enough for pedestrian use isn't clear. The group's own estimates have varied from an unlikely $2 million to as much as $10 million. A state Department of Transportation study, released last year, estimated essential repairs would cost more like $12.6 million. That doesn't include another $15 million to improve the bridge's appearance by getting rid of rust and repainting.
No matter which figure is most accurate, the organization isn't even close to covering it. Walkway has only about $3,000 on hand. Schaeffer offers hopes of raising the rest through grants, private contributions, a ''major fund-raising drive'' -- and public money.
Unlike previous Walkway Chairman William Sepe, Schaeffer is eager to seek state and federal grants. They're hard to come by these days, when state and federal budgets have tightened way up. But Schaeffer should find one ally in Hudson River Valley Greenway head Carmella Montello. Her state planning agency has helped develop the region's fine network of walking trails. Montello has said she could help the organization find public funds, such as through the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, or ISTEA.
Safety -- Both Sepe and Schaeffer have insisted the span is in good shape. But attorney Donald Pevsner, a knowledgeable local railroad enthusiast, has long contended there's a potential risk to boats on the Hudson, as well as the active railroad lines that pass beneath the bridge, should it ever start to fall apart. If he's right, the span may have to be dismantled -- at great cost.
However remote, the potential risk can't be easily discounted, considering the collapse last year of the century-old Kinzua Viaduct, a railroad bridge in northwestern Pennsylvania, during a severe thunderstorm. The Poughkeepsie structure is 16 years older than Kinzua, and it's been unused since 1974, when Conrail abandoned it following a fire. The risk question may not be fully resolved until independent structural engineers -- ideally, with the state DOT -- have gone over the structure bolt by bolt.
Walkway Over the Hudson deserves much credit for resolving the tangled ownership issue left behind when Conrail relinquished control over the bridge. This citizens organization has earned its role in the future of the span.
But the group's new leaders need to prove the bridge has the future they envision -- by finding major funding sources, and seeing what state inspectors say about its stability. Even opening either end to visitors would be a big accomplishment.
ON THE WEB
- Walkway Over the Hudson:
www.walkway.org
- Hudson River Valley Greenway:
www.hudsongreenway.state.ny.us