$300K salt shed to be built in Berne, Fox Creek bridge officially open
On site for announcement of a $300,000 salt shed in Berne are, from left, Scott Duncan with the Albany County Department of Public Works; Darrell Duncan, Albany County DPW Commissioner; Mary Rozak from County Executive Daniel McCoy's office; Kevin Crosier, Berne town supervisor; State Senator George Amedore; Karen Schimmer and Dawn Jordan, Berne Town Board members; and Randy Bashwinger, Berne Highway superintendent.
BERNE — Friday was a busy day in Berne as two public works projects brought officials to the Helderberg Hilltown— one project was completed and another is about to begin.
A $300,000 facility that will hold about 2,000 tons of salt will be built at the town highway department with money secured from the state by Senator George Amedore.
The shed will be shared by the town, which has about 79 highway miles to maintain, and Albany County — a location that is closer to highways in the western part of the county than its current facility.
“This new facility will prevent loss of materials, is more environmentally friendly, and will reduce operating costs for both the town and county,” said Amedore in a statement.
In his statement, Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy, a Democrat, thanked Amedore, a Republican, and said, “This is a great example of how at all levels of government, we share services to benefit the taxpayers. The county is pleased to be partners with the state and the town to keep the roads safe.”
Berne supervisor Kevin Crosier called it “a huge deal for a small community” and Berne Highway Superintendent Randy Bashwinger, said, “This is a long time coming. The highway employees are extremely happy for the new building which will keep the material dry and much easier to use for the safety of the roads. In turn, the materials will go a lot further and save the town residents money in the end.”
“Good things happen when we all work together,” said County Legislator Travis Stevens.
Bridge complete
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held last Friday for the Fox Creek bridge, which opened on Aug. 20.
The Route 443 bridge was rebuilt over the summer.
The $1.01 million project was completed in two phases over two summers to accommodate school-year traffic. The Berne-Knox-Westerlo schools are located on Route 443 at the other end of the hamlet from the bridge.
Ray and Tammy Weiler, the owners of the Fox Creek Market, located next to the bridge, said business fell off dramatically since the bridge closed on June 30.
In the summer of 2014, the state’s Department of Transportation widened and improved the intersection of routes 443 and 156. Previously, buses and trucks had difficulty negotiating the narrow intersection. Work in 2014 also included removing a building that had been damaged during Tropical Storm Irene in order to improve sight distance and the turning radius at the intersection.
This summer, the state replaced the aging bridge, which carries an average of 1,231 motor vehicles per day. Some incidental work off the travel lanes, including shoulder paving, will occur over the next few weeks, the DOT said in a release.
