Letter to the Editor: Legislator Gordon Burrows Answers Questions About Palmer Road Bridge
To the Editor:
Sep. 11, 2019: Over the past several weeks, my office has received numerous inquiries regarding the status of the Palmer Road Bridge. By this correspondence, I will attempt to address some of the questions posed in an effort to keep you apprised of the latest news.
1) Why did the Palmer Road Bridge require repairs?
Several years ago, the Department of Transportation conducted an inspection and deemed the bridge unsound and unsafe.
After conducting its own review and putting the project out to bid, the county awarded the contract to repair the bridge to ELQ Industries for the lowest bid of $1,715,984. The work required in part the following:
Complete removal and replacement of the roadway pavement, fill, sidewalks, and waterproofing membrane; replacement of the bridge rail; rehabilitation of the stone parapet and facing; and associated work. The erosion and scour-related problems will also be addressed with streambank stabilization.
2) How long is the repair of the Palmer Road Bridge supposed to take and why over the summer?
The work started approximately April of 2018 and is estimated to be completed in mid/late November of 2019. The summer was chosen, as the traffic studies demonstrated there is less traffic during this period due to people’s summer vacation plans and children not being in school.
3) Why did work on the Palmer Road Bridge stop for a period of time?
Once the work crews began repairing the bridge they ran into unanticipated events requiring a redesign of the concrete core parapet and stone face (apparently original drawings of the bridge which were prepared decades ago showed one conduct and one gas line when in effect there are eight). Once the engineers completed their redesign, crews from ELQ Industries returned to the site. I am advised that the repair crews are near completion of phase 1 of the project, which calls for the north half of the bridge to be fully restored before turning their attention to the south side of the bridge.
4) How will traffic flow to the Palmer Road Bridge be affected once work on the south side begins?
It was determined by Public Safety that all traffic flow should be diverted in the direction of Lawrence Hospital to ensure quick access in the event of a medical emergency. Therefore, even though the repair work to the Palmer Road Bridge will essentially “flip” from the north side to the south side, all current traffic flows and detours will continue as is.
As always, repairs of this nature cause many inconveniences; however, the realities of the “passage of time” require this type of maintenance if we are to keep our families safe. If you have any further questions or concerns regarding the Palmer Road Bridge or any other issue, please feel free to contact me at 914-995-2830 or email me at
Best wishes,
Gordon A. Burrows
Westchester County Legislator, District 15
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