NEW SCOTLAND — The Albany County Legislature recently passed its latest capital program and New Scotland stands to benefit from the multi-million-dollar outlay. 

At the legislature’s July 10 meeting, members awarded funds for repairs to the Normanskill Bridge as well as multiple bridges over Onesquethaw Creek. In March, the legislature had approved a nearly $9 million bond to pay for the projects in addition to other upcoming work along county roads in New Scotland and the Hilltowns. 

As the only bidder for the project, D.A. Collins Construction of Wilton in Saratoga County was awarded a $1.14 million contract to rehabilitate the 137-by-29-foot Krumkill Road steel-truss structure over the Normanskill. 

The bridge, located next to 879 Krumkill Road in Slingerlands, will be stripped and repainted in addition to the truss itself receiving minor repairs like plate and floor-beam strengthening, according to the county. Site work such as regrading the shoulder break areas to improve drainage and the removal and reinstallation of existing guardrail will also take place. 

The county’s engineer for the project, Creighton Manning, estimated the rehabilitation to cost about $1.31 million. 

The existing bridge, which was built in 1939 and has undergone a few repairs over the past years, will remain open during construction with alternating one-way traffic controlled by a temporary signal system, according to the notice to bidders. 

The county told The Enterprise that work is expected to start by the spring of next year. The request for proposals published in March stated it would be an eight-week construction process.

Also on July 10, the county legislature awarded James H. Maloy Inc. of Loudonville an $896,000 contract for various deck replacements and repair work for three New Scotland bridges over the Onesquethaw Creek: at Rowe, Onesquethaw, and Plank roads.

The work, which was estimated by the county’s consulting engineer to cost $955,000, includes replacing existing timber decking on the steel-truss superstructures as well as, among other things, repointing existing masonry abutments, installing bridge rails, and touching-up paint. 

Work on the bridges over the Onesquethaw is also anticipated to start next spring, according to the county. The project manual notes, “Time is of the essence with this Agreement,” and a $600-a-day fine is to be imposed “after the time specified for substantial completion until the work is substantially complete.”

Also included as part of the county’s capital program approval but not awarded on July 10 were culvert replacements and rehabilitation projects including County Route 358 in Rensselaerville, County Route 308 over the Vlomankill in New Scotland, County Route 411 over Silver Creek in Westerlo, and County Route 301 over an Onesquethaw Creek tributary in New Scotland. 

The work, which also applies to other county routes not named, includes “minor stream and approach work and installation of new guide rail where needed,” according to the accompanying documentation, and has a price tag of $9.8 million.

Design work is currently underway for a culvert along County Route 111 in Coeymans; the “remaining culvert projects will be designed and constructed during 2024-2028,” county spokeswoman Mary Rozak told The Enterprise.