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End in sight for $3 million construction project on Canton bridge over Grasse River

Posted 8/13/18

By ADAM ATKINSON CANTON -- Construction on the U.S. Route 11 bridge over the Grasse River in the village across Willow Island continues to direct traffic into just two lanes across the span, but the …

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End in sight for $3 million construction project on Canton bridge over Grasse River

Posted

By ADAM ATKINSON

CANTON -- Construction on the U.S. Route 11 bridge over the Grasse River in the village across Willow Island continues to direct traffic into just two lanes across the span, but the end is in sight.

“(It’s) looking like Canton will be finished up mid-September,” said Michael R. Flick, NYS Department of Transportation spokesman for Region 7, in an email Friday.

Workers have been removing and replacing the existing concrete wearing surface on the bridge deck, and replacing the curb and sidewalk on the bridge. The armor joints on the bridge are being replaced and the bearings rehabilitated. New lighting is being installed on the bridge to enhance visibility.

Traffic across the four-lane roadway on the bridge has been reduced to one lane in each direction in Canton during construction.

While no official detours have been established around the work site, village residents and commuters not wanting to encounter potentially long waits as the bridge have been flowing around the area by crossing the Grasse in Morley and south of Canton on Miner Street Road.

“As far as challenges go -- any project in a busy residential setting has its challenges, and this is no different. Traffic control is always a concern and we work hard to strike a balance between mobility and constructability. All in all, this has been a good project and at the end of the day, if we can get a project done safely, then in my book it's a successful outcome,” Flick said.

Average traffic in downtown Canton on Main Street/Route 11 averages close to 20,000 vehicles a day, according to figures from the DOT released in 2017.

Flick said that the rehab of the Route 11 bridge was bid at around $3 million, and the DOT doesn’t expect to exceed that once the project is complete.

The project was funded with 80 percent federal funds and 20 percent state funds.

Maintenance projects such as this significantly extend the useful service life of bridges, which in turn means fewer significant interruptions to travelers, commerce and local communities, DOT said in a press release when the project was announced earlier this year.