HIGHLAND – U.S. Senator Charles Schumer has joined the call for immediate action to study and repair the CSX rail bridge south of Blue Point between Highland and Milton.
The bridge has been temporarily reinforced, but local officials are concerned about its safety.
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro first blew the whistle on the bridge following an inspection with Riverkeeper Vice President and Patrol Boat Captain John Lipscomb.
Now, Schumer has called on the Federal Railroad Administration to conduct an independent safety inspection of the bridge.
“A jury-rigged bridge is hardly a long-term solution to securing the safety of the CSX freight rail at the Blue Point Railroad Bridge,” Schumer said. “Ulster County and the surrounding communities are on board for an independent safety review from the feds, which should grease the skids in the interest of health and safety of the entire region and bring peace of mind to Hudson Valley residents on both sides of the Hudson.”
Lipscomb said Riverkeeper “continues to be extremely concerned about the structural integrity of this failing rail bridge.” He questioned if it is “still strong enough to support the mile-long freight trains it carries daily? Has the margin of safety been lost? And are the repeated vibrations and shocks of daily train traffic continuing to weaken the bridge and compromise even the temporary repairs?”
“For generations, thousands of Ulster County residents have relied on the Hudson River for drinking water and these communities deserve the peace of mind of knowing that this bridge is safe,” said County Executive Patrick Ryan.
“The counties and seven municipalities that are part of the Hudson 7 have expressed concern that a bridge failure could lead to hazardous chemical and oil spills and contamination of the Hudson River impacting our drinking water supply,” said Rhinebeck Mayor Gary Bassett, chairman of the Hudson 7 group. The river provides drinking water to 106,000 customers in Dutchess and Ulster counties.
