State completes construction on Glenridge Road bridge turnaround – The Daily Gazette

GLENVILLE — The first phase of a project designed to prevent trucks from striking one of the two Glenridge Road rail bridges has been completed, the state announced Thursday.

The project consists of a half-circle turnaround area on both sides of the street, giving overheight vehicles too tall to pass under the 10-foot, 11-inch bridge ample room to turn around before striking the structure. Construction began last month. 

In addition to the turnaround area, the project created three parking spaces for the town’s nearby nature preserve. Stripping for the spaces is expected to be completed in the coming weeks, according to the state. 

“With a stretch of nice weather, we were able to accelerate the work to complete this turnaround and now, if vehicles that are too-tall and overheight reach this turnaround area on Glenridge Road, they can safely maneuver and turn around and away from the bridge,” Marie Dominguez, commissioner of the state’s Department of Transportation, said in a statement. 

Bridge strikes have been a frequent occurrence along Glenridge Road for years, prompting safety concerns from state and local officials and leading to hours-long road closures while crews work to dislodge stuck vehicles and clean up debris. 

Last year, DOT unveiled a series of immediate and long-term plans to reduce the number of bridge strikes, including the installation of flashing beacons to supplement the 14 signs already in place warning drivers of the low bridge. 

The department is also in the process of designing a detection system that would trip whenever an overheight vehicle passes through, causing a pair of electronic messaging boards to display a warning that the vehicle is too tall to pass under the bridge and send a message to DOT’s Transportation Management System.

The system is expected to be installed sometime next year. 

Glenville Supervisor Christopher Koetzle said he is hopeful that the changes will reduce the number of bridge strikes moving forward, and praised the additional parking in the area. 

“I appreciate the department’s efforts in their pursuit to address this issue that has vexed motorists for so long and I have high hopes that this will address our safety concerns relating to the bridge strikes,” he said. 

Contact reporter Chad Arnold at: 518-410-5117 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @ChadGArnold. 

Categories: News, Schenectady County, Scotia Glenville