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Positioning of steel for new Potsdam bridge leads to traffic stoppages

Posted 7/7/15

By CRAIG FREILICH POTSDAM -- There were stoppages Tuesday and more are expected Wednesday at the Maple Street bridges as workers position steel to continue their rebuilding of the structures. Traffic …

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Positioning of steel for new Potsdam bridge leads to traffic stoppages

Posted

By CRAIG FREILICH

POTSDAM -- There were stoppages Tuesday and more are expected Wednesday at the Maple Street bridges as workers position steel to continue their rebuilding of the structures.

Traffic was stopped for 10 to 15 minutes each time, said Mike Flick, the spokesperson for the New York State Department of Transportation office in Watertown. The same is expected Wednesday, but not after that.

The bridges are being substantially rebuilt in a project that is expected to continue into the autumn, Flick said.

While the work is underway, traffic is restricted to one lane westbound only. Those drivers eastbound are taking Sandstone Drive to Market Street.

The stoppages are to allow placement of steel for forms for pouring concrete and for beams to which studs will be welded to form "composite decks" onto which the final surface will be applied.

When the contractor, Vector Contracting of Syracuse, gets to pouring the concrete, it will be done one lane at a time, Flick said, with a period of up to 28 days to allow the concrete to set before moving over to the other lane and another setting period.

Flick said the engineer in charge told him they are happy to be "out of a rainy June and into decent weather, not fighting the weather" this month to ease the work.