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County Legislators Call For Work On Hastings Bridge

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - Westchester County Legislators MaryJane Shimsky (D-Hastings-on-Hudson) and Board Chairman Ken Jenkins (D-Yonkers) called Friday for planned infrastructure projects in the Rivertowns to move forward.

Repairs on the walkway on the Warburton Avenue Bridge in Hastings have been delayed.

Repairs on the walkway on the Warburton Avenue Bridge in Hastings have been delayed.

Photo Credit: Danny LoPriore

Jenkins and Shimsky called on County Executive Rob Astorino to move forward on projects -- repairs on bridges, roads, sewage and recreation areas -- in waterfront communities.

Shimsky pointed to the Warburton Avenue Bridge in Hastings as a cause for concern. The bridge, rated a 4.5 on the New York State Department of Transportation’s 1-7 scale, is in need of serious repair. Work was to begin in 2012 and then was moved to spring 2013. 

“This bridge has structural problems that need addressing now, before more extensive work is required because of the passage of time and further neglect,” Shimsky said. “We don’t want the Warburton Avenue Bridge to turn into a second Ashford Avenue Bridge. The Ashford Avenie Bridge that connects Saw Mill River Road and Ashford Ave. on the Dobbs Ferry-Ardsley border is undergoing repairs at an estimated cost of $23 million. 

“Safety issues with the bridge on Warburton Avenue, including the lack of a suicide prevention screen, as well as low railings and crumbling sidewalks, put people on the bridge and those underneath it at risk," Shimsky said.

Projects in Hastings-on Hudson, Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry and Irvington have been approved by the Board of Legislators. In some cases, the design work for the projects is complete, but the projects have not advanced far.

“The taxpayers must risk enduring extensive emergency closures of one of the most important traffic arteries in the Rivertowns," Shimsky said. "The expenditure of more taxpayer dollars for temporary fixes, if the Ashford Avenue Bridge is further weakened by hard winters and regular use before construction takes place."

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