Good-bye bridge, hello rail trail

The clock is ticking on the remaining few days of the Trestle Bridge.

Mayor Jay Niles said he spoke with representatives of Dan’s Hauling, the company hired by the state to remove the bridge, and they say immediately following the holiday weekend the crane will be onsite…

 

The clock is ticking on the remaining few days of the Trestle Bridge.

Mayor Jay Niles said he spoke with representatives of Dan’s Hauling, the company hired by the state to remove the bridge, and they say immediately following the holiday weekend the crane will be onsite.

“As of now, they call me any time there is a change,” Niles said, adding he expected work to continue as planned until the bridge is gone.

The former railroad bridges spans the Mettowee River just off of Water Street, near the Slate Valley Museum.

Niles said the company will begin bring in parts of the crane Aug. 29, but planned to wait to move the remainder into place and assembled the crane until after the long weekend.

Workers from the company have placed truckloads of rock in the Mettowee River to prepare a spot for a large crane.

“The stone is pretty well ready,” Niles said.

That crane will be used to remove pieces of the Trestle Bridge to prevent them from going into the water.

Niles said when the bridge has been removed he hopes to see the rock the company used to fashion the crane work area removed and possibly used behind Main Street as fill.

“They have to take it out and it could be used right here,” Niles said. 

Niles said he plans to ask the company to place the rocks at the site of the planned parking lot behind Main Street.

“That money is just not in our budget right now so hopefully we can get those (rocks),” Niles said, to take advantage of the potential free materials.

The village purchased a parcel of property from Wayne Shaw with an eye towards adding parking and a loading and unloading zone for Main Street businesses behind the existing stores.

An alley currently runs behind the buildings. 

Soon, Niles said he expects to meet with Bob Kuhn, representative from the department of Parks and Recreation, to discuss the next part of the project.

“He’ll be meeting with the village and the snowmobile groups and Gordie Smith the deputy mayor to discuss the bidding process,” Niles said.

He said he hoped to discuss a timetable for replacement at that meeting.

The last timetable Niles said he was aware of had the bidding process for the replacement of the bridge taking place over the winter months with the job being done in the spring.