CLARE -- St. Lawrence County Department of Highways completed the repair and restoration of the Dean Road Bridge in Clare in just nine working days using decking made from recycled plastics.

St. Lawrence County engineers used Struxure 6-inch by 24-inch tongue and groove boards, according to manufacturer Axion International Holdings.

The recycled plastic board is “as easy to work with as wood, but offers the longevity of concrete and steel,” said Andrew Willard, senior civil engineer for the county highway department.

Willard said that if they had used concrete for the decking, it would have taken a month to cure.

The lightness of the material they used “eliminated the need for a crane on site, which reduced our costs and avoided the need to move utility lines,” added Willard.

“Using recycled materials on this scenic bridge is very much in keeping with our financial and ecological goals. We fully intend to use more of Axion’s products for future infrastructure projects in St. Lawrence County,” he said.

The Dean Road Bridge, just north of DeGrasse, is a low-volume, heavy-load-bearing bridge over the Middle Branch of the Grasse River. It was built in 1956 and carries about 600 vehicles a day, including 60-ton logging trucks. It is in the Adirondack Park over a designated “wild and scenic waterway.”