Culvert work is ongoing; GF-HF River Street link remains closed

****
UPDATE 12/13: It’s open! River Street, Route 254, between Glens Falls and Hudson Falls has finally reopened, the State Department of Transportation announced.

The Route, located in Queensbury, had been closed since March for repair work of the Feeder Canal culvert.
The long construction time and detour had deeply frustrated nearby businesses.

The State DOT said, “State Route 254, also known as River Street, in the Town of Queensbury, Warren County, is now open following the successful installation of a new steel culvert to carry water from the Glens Falls Feeder Canal. As a result, the detour that has been in place during the road closure has been lifted.”
****

By Cathy DeDe, Chronicle Managing Editor

We’re hearing from readers wondering — and impatient — about when River Street, Route 254, between Glens Falls and Hudson Falls will reopen.

It has been closed since March for repair work of the Feeder Canal culvert.

The Chronicle wrote in September about the prolonged project. State Department of Transportation spokesperson Bryan Viggiani told us then the state anticipated the project’s completion “this fall.”

Asked now, Mr. Viggiani could not say whether work will continue through the winter, what if anything is slowing progress or when the job’s expected to be done.

“Work has been ongoing on State Route 254 in anticipation of a safe reopening as soon as possible,” he said in a statement. “Since September, the Department and its contractor have been working to meticulously install dozens of individual curved steel plates inside the existing culvert that will form a new, more resilient culvert to safely carry water from the Glens Falls Feeder Canal underneath the state route.

“This process negated the need to excavate the structure’s existing concrete, which could have further prolonged the road closure.”

A NYSDOT press release issued in September after inquiries from The Chronicle said DOT crews planned to install “approximately 150 curved steel plates that will be fastened together to form a new culvert measuring 163 feet in length,” inside the current structure.

“This process will negate the need to excavate the deteriorated concrete, which could have extended the road closure by months. The finished product will be strong enough to support both the remains of the existing culvert and the road above.”

Estimated project cost is $1 million, “funded entirely by the state,” DOT said.

Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez was quoted then that the DOT “understands that the closure of State Route 254, while necessary…has been a hardship for the people who live and work in the areas around Glens Falls and Hudson Falls.”

Copyright © 2023 Lone Oak Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved