SLINGERLANDS – The collapsed new span of the Albany County Helderberg Hudson Rail Trail bridge will be stabilized this week and removed by next week, according to the County.
“The Rail Trail Bridge will be shored up by the end of this week and removal of the steel is anticipated to occur next week. Once the steel is removed, drainage work, paving and sidewalk work will be completed on State Route 85,” Albany County Director of Communications Mary Rozak said in a statement today.
The road will reopen eastbound, towards albany, until a temporary span is installed. The bridge has continued to sag as evident in new pictures, which is, most likely, prompting the speedy action from the county.
“Upon completion of this work, east bound traffic on State Route 85 will reopen from 6:00 am- 10:00 am. That is anticipated to happen at the end of August,” She said.
The steel for a new permanent bridge will have to be designed and manufactured. The original bridge took more than 12 months to fabricate. In an effort to fully open Route 85 and also the bike trail, the County is looking at plans for a temporary bridge. Rozak said that process in the beginning stages.
“In an effort to open the rail trail and both lanes of State Route 85, plans are being worked on to install a temporary pedestrian bridge. It is expected the temporary bridge will be up and functioning before the original October 31st. completion date. At that time, both lanes of State Route 85 will open,” She said.
The investigation into the cause of last week’s incident continues.
