NEWBURGH -City officials announced the reopening of the Lake Drive Bridge over the Quassaick Creek in a statement issued on Friday. The Bridge project started in 2019.
The City of Newburgh Engineering Department began planning and appropriating funding for the Lake Drive Bridge replacement project in 2016. Funding was secured by late Senator William Larkin. Inspections had revealed significant structural deficiencies of the original bridge, constructed in the early 1970s. The existing bridge was subsequently closed in May of 2019 after a follow-up inspection identified worsening structural deficiencies. This bridge closure impacted vehicular traffic for two years at the northern intersection of Lake Drive and Lake Street (Route 32).
Reconstruction of the Lake Drive Bridge started in July of 2020. The project involved the complete removal and replacement of the existing twin metal arch culvert bridge. Construction of the new bridge required the temporary diversion of the Quassaick Creek utilizing cofferdams to allow the contractor to install 52 ten-inch diameter steel and grouted piles to a depth of approximately 55 feet to support the new bridge structure.
The new bridge is a 40 foot long 11 foot tall, three-sided precast concrete structure, which accommodates pedestrians along Lake Drive with a new 5-foot wide sidewalk along the north side of the bridge.
A larger hydraulic opening has been incorporated in the new bridge, according to officials, to eliminate upstream flooding issues and a previous stream barrier, which prevented fish migration upstream in the Quassaick Creek. The streambed through the project has been re-established and will result in aquatic habitat benefits for the Quassaick Creek and Muchattoes Lake.
The new bridge structure also includes provisions to allow the City to construct a future pedestrian trail around Muchattoes Lake, under Lake Drive, and upstream along the Quassaick Creek.
The Lake Drive Bridge reopened to traffic and pedestrians on Friday, May 28, 2021. The design and construction costs for this project were funded by the New York State Department of Transportation, secured by Larkin, with funds administered through the Orange County Transportation Council.
