MANLINUS, N.Y. – Last week, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the Town of Manlius will undergo a $5 million bridge replacement for the Schepps Corners Road bridge. The bridge has been around since 1953, part of the original NY State Thruway. It’s one of dozens of Central New York bridges that needs an overhaul.
“Bridges such as this are essential to connecting local communities and are depended on by residents and businesses to enhance the quality of life and boost the economy,” Hochul said.
“I think long-term (the bridge reconstruction) definitely will make a positive impact on the community,” Connor Mandarano, a finance and marketing major at Syracuse University said. “Short term, however, I think the traffic situation is going to be a little messed up,” he added.
Mandarano, a native of Newtown, CT, said that he saw the pros and cons of a bridge reconstruction in his hometown not that long ago.
The Schepps Corners Road bridge sees roughly 2,600 vehicles per day. The new structure will increase the verticle clearance by two and a half feet (14 feet, 5 inches to 16 feet, 11 inches) and widen the shoulders. Right now, locals have to take a detour from Kirkville Road to North Manlius Road.
Residents who live right next to the bridge construction site have to deal with the noise. Luke Helwig, a nutrition major at SU, compared living in a busy dorm hall a couple of years ago to those construction noises that the locals are suffering through right now.
“We used to hear cars going down the street. You could hear them screeching… and sirens and all kinds of stuff…. you couldn’t get any sleep,” Helwig said.
One elderly lady who lives in the house closest to the bridge reconstruction literally said that she can’t wait for the project to be over because of all the noise.
The Thruway Authority, not the town of Manlius is overseeing the project because the bridge runs over Interstate 90. The Thruway Authority has already completed multiple other replacement projects similar to the Schepps Bridge.
The timeline for the new bridge to be open to the public is in the fall.
The project will add stone gutters on each corner of the new bridge to slow down runoff and filter it away from the road.
“The additional benefits of safer and smoother travel conditions for residents are welcomed,” Manlius Town Supervisor John Deere said.
