$1M added to tab of $8.9M Normans Kill bridge

Friday, November 7, 2025 - 16:55

The Enterprise — Marcello Iaia and Melissa Hale-Spencer 

The New York State Department of Transportation has had to design and install a steel sheet pile wall along the hillside of Route 146 near the entrance to Tawasentha Park after it was discovered “existing soil conditions were insufficient” to support the installation of a walkway along the state road. 

GUILDERLAND — Another $1 million will be added to the $8.9 million price tag of replacing the Route 146 bridge over the Normans Kill after it was discovered “existing soil conditions were insufficient” to support the installation of a pedestrian walkway along the state road.

“While excavating the pedestrian path requested by the Town of Guilderland, it was discovered that the existing soil conditions were insufficient to support the path without reinforcement,” said Scott Cook, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, in a statement responding to Enterprise questions. “In response, NYSDOT designed and installed a steel sheet pile wall to ensure the pedestrian path’s structural integrity throughout the project and the bridge’s lifespan.”

There are currently no concerns about the hillside along the Normanskill failing. 

The 10-foot-wide path for walkers and cyclists is due to run for nearly 1,800 feet along Route 146, connecting the town’s Winter Recreation Area, east of the bridge, to the Tawasentha Park entrance, 700 feet west of the bridge.

Guilderland Supervisor Peter Barber previously said that, eventually, the new 1,800-foot path is to be part of a longer path running from Route 20 to Guilderland Center and on to Altamont as recommended for the town’s update of its comprehensive plan.

Work began on the bridge in March. 

In April, DOT said the project was scheduled for completion in the fall or winter of 2026 — it now has an anticipated completion date of spring 2027.

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