Coming from the west, there are three main routes into Cobleskill, two of which are currently detoured to the third.
Warnerville Cutoff Road has been closed since late February to repair two bridges and a section of road. The second detour is to accommodate work under way on the Route 7 bridge over the Canadian Pacific Railroad tracks by the Stewart’s Shop, which has been closed since June 15.
The official detour is Mineral Springs Road — which runs parallel to Interstate 88, past the village to Route 145 — and South Grand Street. Most locals, though, have been taking MacArthur Avenue to South Grand Street to bypass the Route 7 bridge.
Tractor-trailers and other tall vehicles cannot use that route, however, because the bridge on South Grand Street has a clearance of just 11 feet 8 inches and they can’t fit under it.
Warnerville Cutoff Road is expected to reopen in December, after the two bridges — which had weight limits of 5 tons and 10 tons — are completely rebuilt to hold any legal load. The section of road between the two bridges also will be rebuilt.
That project is under the supervision of the Schoharie County Department of Public Works, since it is a county road, said DPW Deputy Commissioner John DeMis, who has been working with the project manager.
The total cost of rebuilding the two bridges and connecting road is about $3.7 million, DeMis said.
The second project, over the Canadian Pacific railroad tracks, is being done by the state Department of Transportation, since Route 7 is a state highway. The bridge is expected to be completed by Sept. 6 at a cost of $6.27 million. The entire structure is being rebuilt, and drainage problems are being resolved.
David Hamburg, a DOT spokesman, said the goal is to improve the bridge using cost-effective techniques that will result in minimal maintenance and repair costs in future.
The DOT sought feedback from the community and found that residents would rather have the entire bridge shut down at once and the new structure completed in one construction season rather than partially shut down over two seasons, Hamburg said.
It took about a week for motorists to get used to the new traffic patterns, Cobleskill Mayor Mark Galasso said. They’ve now found new ways to get through the village and are settling into the new patterns.
“It’s not easy, but people are getting used to it,” he said.
Stewart’s, located right next to the bridge, decided this would be an opportune time to do some construction of its own. The company bought a house on the west side by the bridge, knocked it down and built a new and slightly larger store, said Tom Mailey, spokesman for Stewart’s Shops.
The new building is set to open Aug. 1. The old building will be torn down and turned into a parking lot, increasing parking spaces from seven to 19.
Along with these additions, there will be three fueling pumps, instead of two, and Stewart’s will begin also selling diesel, probably at the end of August.
“The two projects in conjunction with each other will be a huge boost to the look and feel of the west end of our community,” Galasso said.
While business may have ordinarily been down during construction, Mailey said that interest in the Stewart’s construction project has helped balance the flow of customers.
The three bridges that are under construction are not the only ones in the area that are closed. There is also a fourth one on Shady Tree Lane, a couple miles east of the village, connecting Barnerville Road to Route 7. It closed a few years ago due to structural deficiencies, but it will eventually be repaired.
Bidding for that project will begin in 2014, according to DeMis.
Categories: Schenectady County
