The Erie County Department of Public Works’ Highways Division has announced the completion of the Quaker Street Bridge replacement project in the Town of Collins,  a $1.4 million investment that replaced a sixty year old two-span steel multi-girder bridge with a wider, single-span bridge. The old, functionally obsolete bridge needed extensive repairs and was R-posted for load, restricting the weight of vehicles that could traverse it, while the new bridge has no weight restrictions for vehicles. In addition, the old bridge deck, railings, bearings and steel superstructure were all deteriorating, and had a history of poor condition ratings over the last 10 years of inspections. Other limitations of the old bridge included its width, only 24 feet between the curbs, and a central pier beneath the structure that was a snag hazard for ice and debris.

“The Quaker Street Bridge had outlived its usefulness and was no longer fit to handle today’s traffic, so this project has now replaced an Eisenhower-era span with a modern bridge that can accommodate modern vehicles. Bridges are a large part of Erie County’s infrastructure inventory, but also a very costly part and one that residents don’t often think about,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “Projects like this one and the recently-completed Heise Road Bridge in Clarence help to keep communities connected and provide a smoother, safer drive for residents. I thank Commissioner Geary and our DPW team for their work in completing this project.”

The new bridge is a single-span steel multi-girder bridge.  The center pier has been eliminated, opening up the waterway and eliminating the snag hazard. The curbs have also been eliminated and the distance between the railings is now 30 feet, allowing for shoulders on each side of the roadway.  New railings and approach pavement were also installed as part of the project.  The new bridge uses integral abutments, which do not use bearings, thereby reducing the initial cost as well as future maintenance costs.  . 

The bridge was designed by CHA Companies and constructed by Concrete Applied Technologies Corp. The bridge was closed to traffic on May 28 for the demolition of the old bridge and construction of the new bridge.  Replacement of this bridge was partially funded under the BridgeNY program, and is the first bridge under that program to be completed by the Erie County Department of Public Works.

For more information:

On the Department of Public Works, visit http://www2.erie.gov/dpw/  

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