ROUTE 4 BRIDGE TO REOPEN IN 5-6 MONTHS, DOT SAYS.(Local)

Byline: Mary Chris Kuhr Staff writer

The closed Route 4 bridge spanning the Hudson River between this northeast Saratoga County town and Greenwich, Washington County, probably won't be repaired for five to six months.

That was the assessment Wednesday from Joseph Savoie, regional structures engineer with the state Department of Transportation. The bridge was closed by the state July 27 after erosion was spotted by divers. The same type of erosion was blamed in part for the collapse of a Thruway bridge over the Schoharie Creek in April in which 10 were killed.

Lab tests are being completed this week on samples taken from the core of the bridge's abutments and piers and their footings, Savoie said. State engineers now have all the necessary data to do an analysis of the options for repair of the Northumberland bridge, he said, declining to speculate when the analysis might be complete.

Tests have shown deteriorated concrete in the easternmost pier of the bridge and its westerly abutment as well as erosion of the material under the pier footings and abutment, he said.

"We're working on it. We're trying to shake someone loose to do the analysis.

"We envisioned it two weeks ago, but there have been so many of these," he said. "This bridge has been closed, and it's operated well closed." Some other bridge repair work has been given higher priority because

of the volume of traffic those bridges carry, he said.

The decision of the degree of repairs to pursue - and the corresponding traffic limits that might be imposed - on the Route 4 bridge will be made by Regional Director John Taylor, Savoie said.

Several other bridges that have been closed since July have been reopened to limited traffic as DOT repair work proceeds. Savoie did not rule out such a decision on the Northumberland bridge. But he noted that the repairs, which are "beyond the scope of state workers," will have to be contracted to outside firms. He estimated that it will be "five to six months before anything can be accomplished."

Hiring outside workers to make the repairs poses a problem raised recently by Saratoga County Public Works Commissioner Joseph Ritchey. With the increase in attention to bridge repairs, the demand for such work has skyrocketed, allowing the relatively few companies qualified to make the repairs to choose only the most lucrative jobs and leaving some smaller projects begging for bidders, Savoie said.

"We have pending contracts," Savoie said, "and the prices are starting to climb. There's just so much work out there."