Binghamton Street Closed for Removal of Century-Old Rail Bridge

A large crane and other construction equipment are blocking a busy Binghamton roadway as crews prepare to replace a rusting hulk of a railroad bridge.

Preparations for the project on Front Street just north of Clinton Street have been underway for several months.

Mayor Jared Kraham said plans had called for removal of the old deteriorating bridge last year but the work was delayed.

Now that the job has finally gotten underway, vehicular and pedestrian traffic is being detoured around the underpass.

Most cars and trucks will use a detour that includes Mygatt and Prospect streets. Tractor-trailers and heavy commercial vehicles will be detoured via Glenwood Avenue and Prospect Street.

Kraham said the work is being undertaken by Norfolk Southern Railway. He said it follows the release of a "very damning report" that showed many railroad bridges in Binghamton are in "very poor condition.

There actually are a pair of bridges crossing Front Street at the site. The northern span, which was replaced in August 2004, is in good shape.

The southern bridge, which now is being removed, was built around 1912. The mayor said motorists passing under the span could "probably pick parts of the metal" off the rusting bridge supports.

A railroad boxcar plunged from the tracks over Front Street after eight cars of a freight train derailed on April 22, 2003. The boxcar narrowly missed pedestrians and vehicles when it went off the track around 4 p.m. on a weekday.

A project manager for the L.C. Whitford Company of Wellsville said the old bridge is being removed in sections.

The removal process should be completed Tuesday and segments of the new span should arrive at the site on Wednesday for installation.

The Front Street detour may be in place through Sunday, although normal traffic patterns could be restored if the project is completed before then.

WNBF NEWS VIDEO: A tour of the Binghamton work site on April 21, 2025.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or call (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.