GREENPORT – The Columbia County Department of Public Works will begin the replacement of the structurally deficient county large culvert (#13/7.209), which carries county Route 19 over a tributary to the Klein Kill in the Town of Livingston, beginning on Wednesday, May 18. The county’s project contractor, Prime Highway Contractors, of Albany, will close the bridge to all traffic on Wednesday, May 18, to begin the approximate 2-3 month long culvert replacement work.

All local traffic will utilize a posted detour route traversing county routes 19, 8 and US Route 9 for the full duration of this large culvert project. This project is a part of the county DPW’s on-going locally funded bridge replacement and rehabilitation program.

Within the next few weeks, replacement of four additional county bridge and/or large culverts will also commence by the county’s bridge contractors. Dinehart Bridge, which carries county Route 7A over the Roeliff Jansen Kill in Copake, will be replaced with a new structure beginning in early June. Dean Bridge, carrying county Route 21 over a tributary to the Roeliff Jansen Kill in North Hillsdale will also be replaced with a new bridge, with construction expected to begin in late June.

In the Town of Canaan, the large culvert (#37/1.52), carrying county Route 24 over the Indian Creek, will be replaced by a new bridge beginning in early June. Also scheduled for replacement in the Town of Germantown is large culvert (#54/0.453), which carries an unnamed tributary to the Hudson River under a lengthy section of the county Route 8 (Main Street) sidewalk. This culvert replacement, being done in conjunction with Germantown’s on-going sidewalk replacement project, will begin immediately after the 4th of July holiday. Local, off-site detour routes will be posted for use by local traffic in the areas of each of these County bridge replacement projects.