Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today announced that seven canal bridges in Orleans County and seventeen total in the region will be receiving major upgrades from the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT). The infrastructure upgrade is being called “unprecedented” by state officials and also includes $14 million in paving and improvements to the Lake Ontario State Parkway (LOSP) starting on Route 237 in Kendall and moving east into Monroe County.
“This is like an early Christmas present for our community,” Hawley said. “I have been meeting with local highway superintendents, attending local meetings with residents, personally delivered thousands of petition signatures to the governor and written letters to several high-ranking state officials and federal representatives about repairing our area’s infrastructure, and our efforts have finally come to fruition.”
The canal bridges pegged for improvement are located at Bates Road in Ridgeway, Bennetts Corners in Murray, Densmore Road in Gaines, Gaines Basin Road in Albion, Marshall Road in Ridgeway, Telegraph Road in Murray and Transit Road in Albion. DOT has also identified the Main Street Lift Bridge in Albion and the lift bridge in Brockport to receive improvements during 2018-19.
“The dangerous condition of our canal bridges has placed a financial and time-consuming burden on local businesses and emergency services, and these repairs will allow those groups to function more efficiently and reduce costs,” Hawley said. “Furthermore, repairing the treacherous conditions of parts of the LOSP has been a top priority of mine in recent years, and I am glad to see that this groundswell of local support has allowed us to receive state funding. I am hopeful that once these repairs are complete we can attract more tourists to this world-class fishing destination and ensure safe travel for local residents.”
