Resolutions to help advance three bridge projects scheduled for this summer were approved by the Public Service Committee of the County Legislature on Monday.
The project fund for replacement of the Searls Road Bridge over Spring Creek was increased by $16,500, with all but $825 of that coming from federal grant funds.
The money is necessary to acquire additional right-of-way on the roads leading up to the bridge.
The bridge will be widened from 22 feet to 30 feet -- the new federal standard -- but most of the additional right-of-way is needed during construction, County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens said.
Elba Farms has donated the land for the right of way on the west side of the road but the land on the east side is tied up in an estate and there is a Federal income tax lien on the property, so much of that additional $16,000 is going to a consult to help navigate the legal tangles.
The total cost of the Searls Road Bridge is $870,000, funded through federal grants.
The Pratt Road Bridge project over the Tonawanda Creek is also getting a budget bump of $13,300, all but $650 from federal grants, for right-of-way acquisition. Again, a consultant is needed to assist with the process. The total cost of the project is $2.082 million.
Three resolutions were passed in support of the project replacing the Stroh Road Bridge. Two of them accept a state grant of $100,000 in support of "multimodal" transportation (which means car, pedestrian, bike). The third resolution awards a $1.423 million construction contract to L.C. Whitford Co. Inc., of Wellsville.
The project is a complete replacement, including the stacked-stone abutments, put there in 1910.
