CLARE -- The St. Lawrence County Highway Department has begun repairs on the Dean Road Bridge in Clare using boards made of recycled plastic.

The highway department is repairing the decking on the bridge using a product called Struxure, manufactured by Axion International Holdings.

In a second order from Axion, the highway department has ordered 6” x 24” tongue and groove boards made from recycled plastic and plastic composite. The materials used to make the boards removed 30,000 pounds of plastic from the landfill stream, according to Axion staffers.

Struxure bridges will not rot or absorb moisture and are impervious to insect infestation, according to an Axion press release.

“When we installed Struxure boards on a culvert project as an alternative to stay-in-place concrete forms last year, they were easy to install and they have shown to be very durable through the harsh weather conditions we have here in upstate New York,” said St. Lawrence County Superintendent of Highways Toby Bogart. “It’s a good investment for us because Struxure is impervious to water and salt, so it doesn’t go through the wear and tear that traditional materials do over time. That means once it’s in, there will be significantly less maintenance as compared with traditional construction materials.”

“The ease and simplicity of working with the material also saves time during construction, allowing for shorter road closures,” Bogart said.