March 11, 2002
DOT Issues Alert: Overweight Trucks Could Collapse the Batchellerville Bridge
The state Department of Transportation announced in mid-February that truckers violating the weight limit on the Batchellerville Bridge could weaken the span to the point where it could collapse into the waters of Great Sacandaga Lake.
Said Regional Structures Engineer Timothy Conway: "A number of variables affect how fast the bridge continues to deteriorate. Environmental effects, such as moisture cycles, the harshness of the winter and the amount of salt needed to keep the bridge deck from freezing, and the frequency and negative effects of overloaded vehicles on the bridge contribute to the advanced deterioration of the bridge's members. We can't control the environment, but the overload occurrence continues to be especially detrimental."
Conway stressed: "The community should be aware that the right combination of loads in excess of 15 tons can cause the bridge to fail. Those who continue to transport overloaded vehicles on the structure are doing an extreme disservice to the local community and are endangering the safety of the other motorists who use the bridge."
One wonders why it took DOT three months to inform the public that the 72-year-old bridge could collapse if trucks exceeding the legal weight limit keep crossing it. The inspection that resulted in the warning took place last November. Was it indifference or incompetence that led the agency to delay issuing a media alert until February 19?
Obviously, Saratoga County will increase police patrols in the area. But by holding back vital information, DOT prevented a concerned public from supplementing law enforcement activities by exerting strong community pressure on offenders.
The bridge was designed to support vehicles weighing up to 15 tons, a limit still in effect. Automobiles, light trucks, and school buses weigh less. But lumber trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles weighing well over 15 tons sometimes take a shortcut across the bridge, weakening the span. With the bridge's deck currently 52 feet above the lake's surface, a collapse could have lethal results.
DOT's "What's the big rush?" delay in spreading this information represents a callous disregard for the public's welfare!