I-81 Walkway Near Binghamton “Coming Down in a Couple of Weeks”
An old pedestrian bridge over Interstate 81 in the town of Dickinson is expected to be removed next month.
The state Department of Transportation ordered the walkway closed last January. It connects Old Front Street with Bevier Street near Otsiningo Park.
Town supervisor Michael Marinaccio said "it's going to be coming down in a couple of weeks." He told WNBF News much of the demolition work will be done at night.
A western New York firm - Cold Spring Construction Company - last month submitted a low bid of $534,000 to remove the bridge. The span, which opened in 1968, cost $312,000 to build.
Marinaccio said the DOT's Andrew Stiles advised him of the work schedule for the project.
The town supervisor said "it's going to be noisy in Sunrise Terrace for about a week or so" while the demolition work is underway.
Stiles previously had said winter maintenance of the structure had become "increasingly hazardous" so the decision was made to close the bridge.
A new pathway for pedestrians opened last year as part of the Front Street reconstruction project.
Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.
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