Traditional Restoration Options are still a Great Choice

AUG 22, 2020 — 

I just had an hour plus conversation with Art Suckewer an engineer from Wrought Iron Bridge Works in New Jersey. His firm have completely restored bridges longer and more massive than the Upper Bridge and Old State Road Bridge.

There are known craftsman who are across the country that have the long forgotten skills to restore these bridges to their original condition. Truss Bridges like the Upper bridge were designed to carry herds of cattle across them and can hold crazy amounts of weight. Many modern engineering firms don’t understand the history and construction of these types of bridges and thus the load limits are usually listed far below what they are capable of.

Currently the Upper Bridge is set for 3 Tons. He said It could very easily hold upwards of 15-20 Tons. The Most expensive part of restoration in place is the painting ($500,000+ because of EPA Regulations), but if the bridge is taken off the foundations, and restored off the river it makes it much cheaper to paint ($125,00-200,000).

He also mentioned that because the old state road bridge (Clinton County) is made of Steel, it would/should be much cheaper to fix and reopen. These are all assumptions based on limited information on the current status of the bridges. A complete restoration by someone who knows how to restore these old bridges would last 30-50 years. There is also new three layer paint process that will allow paint to last longer than the previous ten year cycle before fading.

The bridge would look and act like it did when it was first built once restored. There are many options available depending on the condition of these bridges. His firm and other firms like his, will keep the historical integrity of the bridges in place.

This is another option that could work and cost much less than putting the steel beams under the bridges and placing the old truss on top for looks only. His last thought was there is far more push for restorations now than there was 10 years ago. He also mentioned that there are still Federal Grants available even though NYS is not offering grants at this time.

He gave me his company’s name along with two other companies that I’ve already been in touch with. They all do things like hot riveting a forgotten skill that is needed for these bridges. They remove the bridge, completely disassemble it fix any and all issues with the superstructure, and reassemble for much less than a traditional restoration by modern engineers.  There are options!!