September 13, 2002
NEWSPAPER TELLS STATE: TIME'S UP!
THE DAILY GAZETTE
Schenectady, NY
September 13, 2002
Time To Build The Bridge
The controversy over how high to build the replacement for the Batchellerville Bridge has gone on for at least three years now, and the start of construction has been delayed at least a year because of it. That's long enough.
The state Department of Transportation settled the matter -- or so it thought -- in March, when it announced a compromise on the height. Instead of 55 feet over the Great Sacandaga Lake, as it proposed in 1999, the bottom of the bridge would be only 42 feet above the water -- or seven feet higher than the existing bridge.
That compromise seemed reasonable, taking into account the interests of most sailboat owners -- at 42 feet, the bridge would be tall enough for more than three-quarters of them -- as well as property owners and others who were concerned that too high a structure would ruin their view of the lake and nearby Adirondacks.
Aesthetics weren't the only reasonable concern over the 55-foot height. In winter, with strong winds and icy roads, driving over a bridge that high would be a daunting prospect.
Unfortunately, the sailboat owners' contingent still isn't happy, and has enlisted the support of the Fulton County Board of Supervisors (as well as the Chamber of Commerce and the Great Sacandaga Lake Association) in petitioning the state to hold off. They want one more study on the economic impact of a bridge that would force owners of the tallest boats to go elsewhere.
But DOT already took this issue into account when it arrived at the compromise, which, incidentally, has been endorsed by the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors and Edinburg Town Board (where the bridge lies).
Further delay won't shed any more light -- or change anyone's mind -- on this issue. But it will jeopardize the start of construction on the new bridge, which, given the deteriorating condition of the old bridge and ever-rising construction costs, is not a wise idea.