The bridge that carries Route 127 over the Blackwater River in Webster has been on the state’s Red List for 13 years, and it’s finally being targeted for replacement.
According to the state Department of Transportation, construction would cost $8.4 million, with contingencies and engineering raising the total to $10.5 million. If all goes as planned, construction would start in 2029.
A public hearing on the proposal will be held Monday, Jan. 12, at 6 p.m. at the Webster Town Hall.
Depending on the details of the project, traffic would continue flowing over the bridge during the work, but it would be limited to a single lane.
The bridge, which carries an estimated 1,260 vehicles a day, was built in 1941 as a rigid concrete arch with a 65-foot span that stands more than 40 feet above the river bed. The bed and railing have deteriorated to the point that the DOT has imposed weight limits that prohibit all combination and single unit certified vehicles from crossing the bridge.
The department is currently doing a review of the project’s potential impacts on cultural and natural resources.
Bridges, both those owned by the state and those owned locally, are inspected regularly and if they show “serious wear or deterioration,” they are placed on the Red List. That forces annual inspections and prioritizes those bridges for work when funding becomes available.
More than 300 bridges are on the state’s Red List.
The project is less than a mile from the Clothespin Bridge over the Blackwater River, which was replaced last year.