Chemung River Bridge
(Bridge Street Bridge)
NBI Information
Location
State: New York
County: Steuben County
Feature Carried: Bridge Street
Feature Crossed: Chemung River
Latitude, Longitude: 42.1483,-77.0607
Toll: On free road
Maintenance Responsibility: City or Municipal Highway Agency
Structure Open, Posted, or Closed to Traffic: Posted for other load-capacity restriction (speed, number of vehicles on bridge, etc.)
History
Year Built: 1937
Historical Significance: Historical significance is not determinable at this time.
Year Reconstructed: 2019
Picture Date: August 30, 2024
Geometry
Lanes on Structure: 2
Lanes under Structure: 0
Skew: 0 degrees
Number of Main Spans: 3
Main Structure Type: Thru Truss
Main Structure Material: Steel Continuous
Number of Approach Spans: 0
Approach Structure Type: None
Approach Structure Material: None
Condition
Inspection Date: November 2021
Deck Condition: Good
Superstructure Condition: Fair
Substructure Condition: Satisfactory
Channel Condition: Satisfactory
Culvert: Not Applicable
NBI Year: 2023
Bridge Information
The Chemung River Bridge, now named the Bridge Street Bridge, is a three-span continuous Warren thru truss bridge. Although this is a large bridge, it is actually a small example of the continuous truss bridge. The truss has the shape of a cantilevered truss, with towers above the piers. However, it lacks hinges, which means that it functions as a continuous truss, not a cantilevered truss. The bridge is one of the only continuous through truss bridges in western New York.
The bridge was originally built in 1937 as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. It is currently owned by the city of Corning, who has maintained the bridge beautifully. It was rehabilitated in 1999, then again in 2019. The latest rehabilitation included cleaning and painting the steel, structural steel repairs, gusset plate replacement, and sidewalk repairs. While this rehabilitation is expected to extend the life of the bridge another 20 years, it was also noted that this is likely the last major rehabilitation project. This means that the bridge will presumably be replaced in the once it starts showing signs of deterioration.
In April of 2024, the bridge was closed to prepare for potential flooding in the future. It is unclear exactly what this entailed, but the bridge was only closed for a few hours, so it is likely that the work was minor.
References
Historic Bridges: https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=newyork/corning/
Delta: https://delta-eas.com/project/city-of-corning-bridge-street-over-chemung-river-truss-bridge-painting-and-repair/
The Leader: https://www.the-leader.com/story/news/politics/county/2019/09/07/bridge-work-still-on-schedule/3473184007/
My Twin Tiers: https://www.mytwintiers.com/roadwork/city-of-corning-to-close-bridge-street-for-flood-protection/
