GRAND ISLAND, N.Y. (WKBW) — The New York State Thruway Authority is seeking public input on the replacement of the Beaver Island Parkway bridge following an I-Team investigation.
A public information session will be held on April 25 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. where representatives from the NYS Thruway Authority will be available to answer questions on the project and renderings will be on display.
The Beaver Island Parkway bridge was the focus of the I-Team's report on the condition of bridges in Erie County.
After the I-Team alerted State Sen. Tim Kennedy, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, to the deteriorating condition of the bridge, he called out the Thruway Authority in a letter to its Executive Director Matthew Driscoll.
Driscoll responded to Kennedy's letter, stating the project would be moved to late 2022 - with construction beginning in the spring of 2023. In his response, Driscoll cited the "public's focus on this bridge." Construction was previously scheduled for 2025.
In a release announcing the public information session, the Thruway Authority said "the bridge, built in 1954, is at the end of its service life and will be replaced with a new structure that meets current standards. The new bridge will feature wider travel lanes and emergency shoulders, increased vertical clearance, new guiderail, and new riding surface."
