Culvert trouble means Route 22 detours

The stretch of Route 22 that will be closed for a culvert replacement. THANE GRAUEL PHOTO

Map of affected area of Route 22, with location of the culvert. JEFF MORRIS GRAPHIC

By JEFF MORRIS

An emergency culvert repair is going to close a nearly two-mile portion of Route 22, a major roadway in Bedford.

The case is similar to what occurred in Lewisboro last month, except the troubled span has not actually collapsed. The Bedford closure is being announced ahead of time, and it is on a state highway rather than a town road.

It is the third road closure due to infrastructure problems in the area in recent months, beginning with the Preston Way overpass in Mount Kisco being closed due to structural deterioration.

The New York State Department of Transportation informed the town on April 2 that it will close Route 22, otherwise known as Cantitoe Street, between Maple Avenue and Bedford Center Road on Monday, April 13, for “emergency replacement of a culvert.”

The culver carries water from an unnamed stream beneath the state road. The roadway has been patched with fresh asphalt and tree clearing around the work area has begun.

In announcing the closure, Town Supervisor Ellen Calves said the project is being “managed and implemented by NYS DOT and their contractors.” 

“My apologies to deliver this news with such short notice,” she said. “We were only just notified.”

According to the town, only those vehicles heading to addresses along the closure will be permitted to use the portion of Route 22 between Maple Avenue and Bedford Center Road, and NYS DOT will ensure their driveways will be made accessible. Detour routes for local vehicles and local trucks as well as road closures will be posted, with these specific restrictions: 

— Mathews Mill will be closed to all traffic at Route 22 and signed for “local traffic only” at Harris.

— “Local traffic only” will be in effect on Girdle Ridge Drive, Hook Road and Beaver Dam Road. 

— “No through trucks” will be posted on Harris Road at Bedford Center and at the bypass.

— Through traffic should use Routes 172, 35, and Interstate 684. 

Calves said the town is working with the state to ensure that appropriate detour routes for vehicles and trucks are well marked and rerouted safely, impact to residents is kept to a minimum, and emergency response, schools, and other institutions are aware of the rerouting. She said GPS navigation services will also be notified. 

“We appreciate NYS DOT replacing this deteriorated culvert and coordinating with the town on the traffic impact,” Bedford Public Works Commissioner Kevin Winn told The Recorder.

The section of road that is to be closed is located half in the Katonah-Lewisboro School District and half in the Bedford Central School District.

According to a KLSD spokesperson, “Four of our morning and afternoon bus routes will be impacted. The KLSD Transportation Department is currently developing alternative routing plans to minimize disruption for families.”

A BCSD spokesperson said there is only one stop that is affected, but the bus is able to get to the student’s regular pick-up/drop-off location.

“It may just have to take a different path to/from the school,” Jen Garry

said. “Our transportation supervisor spoke with the parent.”

The culvert replacement had already been planned as part of NYS DOT project 881586, to replace culverts with “major deficiencies” on state highways 123, 22, and 301 “in the towns of Bedford, Kent, Putnam Valley and Lewisboro, and in the counties of Putnam and Westchester.” The project called for small culverts to be replaced with large culverts. 

“The proposed project will ensure that these structures continue to safely carry the traveling public on the roadways over them, while adequately and safely passing storm flows through them,” said the project description. The original completion date was to be June 15, 2029.

Alison Roddy, the NYS DOT engineer in charge, confirmed this culvert was part of that planned replacement. She told The Recorder that the rough winter had severely impacted the Route 22 culvert and necessitated that work begin immediately.

The town asks that any concerns related to local roads be addressed to the Bedford Department of Public Works at 914-666-7669.