ALBANY – Construction on the replacement for the Livingston Avenue Bridge, a railway span across the Hudson River with components dating to the 1860s, is “fundamentally underway,” state Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said at a news conference Tuesday.
Speaking while workers labored on the bridge behind her, Dominguez said the $635 million project was still on track to be completed in 2028. Work has begun on the installation of temporary work platforms above the river as well as temporary caissons so the foundations of the bridge’s towers can be laid, Dominguez said.
The bridge is a crucial passenger and freight rail link connecting trains from the Northeast to points further north and the Midwest. The current span, which only accommodates one train at a time, was completed in 1902 and rests on pilings constructed in 1866. The new bridge will be able to accommodate trains traveling in both directions at higher speeds. Trains crossing the current bridge are limited to speeds of 15 mph because of bottlenecks and stress on the span. The new bridge will allow for speeds of 40 mph.
Steel trusses for the new bridge are being assembled off-site and are being shipped to the construction site for installation. “It’s like a puzzle,” Dominguez said.
The style and function of the new tower piers will be different, Dominguez said. The bridge itself will also have a different design, switching from a movable swing bridge to a lift-type bridge. The changes will bring the structure in line with modern standards.
Dominguez praised Gov. Kathy Hochul for the efforts her administration has made to steer funds to Albany infrastructure projects and was joined by local Democrats, including Albany County Executive Dan McCoy and Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan. She said the bridge project and further efforts to reimagine Interstate 787 work were “full-speed ahead” despite threats from the federal government to cut infrastructure funding to Democratic cities.
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer touted his work last year securing $215 million for the project, including calling then Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to secure the award.
“Transportation is a bipartisan issue,” Dominguez said. “Gov. Hochul has made that clear, and our partners in D.C. are important and we’re going to move forward.”
This article originally published at DOT: Livingston Avenue Bridge replacement project ‘full speed ahead’.
