North Country This Week

RUSSELL – Motorists and commuters traveling back and forth on County Route 24 through the center of Russell may be able to avoid a detour through Hermon by the end of the year.

Workers were busy installing heavy steel girders to form the superstructure of a new bridge over the Grasse River last week.

It will replace an old truss-style bridge, which was closed earlier this year. The span is one of the key points to cross the Grasse River for commuters headed north to Canton from points in southern St. Lawrence County, or traveling south to Trout Lake in Edwards.

A detour to Hermon on Route 17, adding several miles to the trip around Russell, has been posted all summer. Other routes on alternative roads through Fine, Clare and Pierrepont were another option.

“The project is on schedule and (the bridge) will be reopened this year. The structural steel beams are scheduled to be installed over the next few days. The county is receiving funding via the Bridge NY program for this project,” said St. Lawrence County Superintendent of Highways Donald Chambers in an email Sept. 25.

The county received $3,135,000 for the bridge project from the state program in 2017.

The state’s Bridge NY initiative is a $21.1 billion multi-year plan to upgrade critical roads, bridges, and other transportation infrastructure across New York.

According to a press release from the governor’s office, the program emphasizes projects that address poor structural conditions, mitigate weight restrictions or long detours, facilitate economic development or increase competitiveness, or reduce the risk of flooding.

The funding is administered by the New York State Department of Transportation and is available to all municipalities authorized to receive and administer state and federal transportation funding.