Chemung County closed the Jenkins Road Bridge on May 15, 2015, due to an inspection and follow-up analysis, the New York State Department of Transportation issued a Red Flag with “Prompt Interim Action” required, meaning we must close, repair, or certify the bridge as safe within 24 hours. The flag was written as the result of a “Level 2 Load Rating Analysis” which shows an H Operating Rating of 1.5-tons on girder 4. Under state law, the minimum legal posting for bridges is 3-tons. The structure was subsequently removed.
In 2016,residents of Jenkins Road, a Town road, petitioned the Town and County to install a new bridge. The County DPW agreed to install, at our cost, a single lane galvanized truss bridge. The Town of Elmira agreed to accept ownership and maintenance responsibilities for the bridge once construction was complete. The cost to the county for material, labor and equipment was $71,598 and the cost for the bridge structure was $62,463.
At the April 10th meeting of the County Legislature, a vote to transfer ownership of the newly installed bridge was unanimously passed. The bridge was recently re-opened by the town after being paved and readied for usage.
Jenkins Road is in the 15th legislative district in the Town of Elmira. County Legislator Rodney J. Strange said it was important for residents to have the bridge replaced for safety reasons. “Residents were concerned that in the case of an emergency, it could take several crucial minutes for fire, paramedic and law enforcement services to arrive. The bridge the legislature approved, funded and installed will ensure a much quicker response time for emergency vehicles and satisfy residents concerns,” Strange said.