Merchants hit hard by Preston Way bridge closure

The Preston Way bridge, which has been shut down since Dec. 3, when the New York State Department of Transportation deemed it to be unsafe. It is expected to be closed until at least the latter half of 2027. Martin Wilbur photo

A line of traffic late in the afternoon on March 2 at Route 117 and Route 133. From that point to the Maple Avenue and Lexington Avenue intersection has seen the most congestion because of the Preston Way bridge closure in December. Martin Wilbur Photo

By MARTIN WILBUR

As long as Nick Bueti has been in business, he can more or less predict the sales of Mount Kisco Wines & Spirits, the shop that he co-owns on North Bedford Road.

But the sudden closure of the Preston Way bridge on Dec. 3 — Bueti was notified only by robocall just before it happened — was something that he could not completely prepare for, even though it was known that at some point the bridge was going to be replaced.

He estimated this week that in the three months since the New York State Department of Transportation’s shutdown order, business is off 15% to 20%. 

“We’ve been here so long, we pretty much know our sales. It’s significant,” Bueti said of the dropoff in his store where one can see the bridge. “All I hear all day is complaints from the people how hard it is to get here.”

Bueti, a proprietor for more than 30 years, is not alone. He, along with residents and other merchants, face the prospect of navigating the village until at least sometime late next year without having Preston Way open. Recently, Mayor J. Michael Cindrich received a letter from the Burger King franchise owner on North Bedford Road looking for relief. The fast-food restaurant has operated there since 1977.

“It’s heartbreaking that people who are in business are losing 18% of their income because of that bridge,” Cindrich said.

Village Manager Ed Brancati provided a progress report on the project this week, confirming that the Master Permit with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that was adopted by the board last month was executed on Feb. 18. The latest timeline estimates that the bidding period, which will soon go out, will be open for at least six weeks until about May 18, although Brancati hopes that can be accelerated. The Village Board would accept the winning bid at a subsequent meeting with construction starting by August.

It is projected the work would take 12 to 14 months once started, he said. The village will soon send all the documents to the DOT so the agency can sign off on them and move the process forward.

“They are looking to complete all of the paperwork and all of the approvals we send them and try to turn them around as quickly as possible,” Brancati said.

Damage difficult to gauge

While the bridge closure has certainly been an inconvenience to most around the village, how negatively it has affected business after three months is open to conjecture.

Patrice Yvon, owner and chef of the bakery L’Anjou Patisserie Francaise on North Bedford Road, said it is hard to measure how much the loss of the Preston Way bridge has impacted his business. 

“It’s not destructive for me, but it could help if the bridge was open,” Yvon said.

He said the cold and snowy weather this winter also has had an impact on sales. Consistently warm weather might provide a better indication.

Over on South Moger Avenue, Leigh Hodgson, owner of The Hamlet, a store with British products, said the heavier traffic the closure has caused her to change her own shopping habits as a village resident more than it has her business. Hodgson said she now avoids Target, also on North Bedford Road, and often has her groceries delivered.

She acknowledged that having robust online sales likely blunts any negative effects from shoppers who may want to avoid Mount Kisco.

“We have a very different kind of clientele here, so we’re a British shop and our customers are loyal and they’ll figure out a way to get their British goods,” Hodgson said.

The leadership of the Mount Kisco Chamber of Commerce has been working with their members in hopes of easing the impact. President Ed Reilly said the organization has advised of alternate routes into the village and suggested to merchants to encourage customers to visit at off-peak times when possible. 

For example, if a shopper is used to coming south on the Saw Mill River Parkway, they can detour to Interstate 684; if they’re coming from the south, another option is getting off at Roaring Brook Road in Chappaqua and driving north. Reilly said he has noticed the southern portion of the village hasn’t been affected much, with the key chokepoint between the Route 117 and Route 133 intersection and the Maple Avenue-Kisco Avenue crossing.

“That seems to be the bottleneck at certain times in the morning and again in the evening,” Reilly said. “I drive through Mount Kisco during the day all the time and any time between 10 and before school gets out, it’s normal.”

Beth Vetare-Civitello, the chamber’s co-executive director, said because of the surprise shutdown with no warning those first weeks were difficult for everyone. There is typically a post-holiday lull in business activity during the winter where there are fewer shoppers.

But once the detour signs were posted and drivers became more accustomed to the new driving pattern, people are slowly getting used to it.

“There are definitely times of the day, still today, every day, that are very difficult,” Vetare-Civitello said. “Traffic gets backed up and people are getting anxious. I wish it was over, but how has it impacted the stores? I mean, people are not as excited about coming into town because they’re like ‘what am I dealing with?’”

Looking for help

The project’s full financial cost to the village won’t be known until the bid is awarded. The last estimate, from January 2024, stood at $8.6 million, and significant escalation is expected.

Brancati announced that the MTA has committed $1.5 million toward the force labor account, which would pay for railroad personnel such as flagmen and inspectors to ensure the work is done safely.

While Mount Kisco has already secured a state BRIDGE NY $5 million grant, it is now seeking another $2.5 million in funding in the state’s next fiscal year’s budget that state Sen. Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Chris Burdick plan to request, he said. It is also working with U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer’s office to apply for a $5 million Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development grant from the federal government and may seek more money through Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. The BUILD grant is part of $1.5 billion available nationwide to help pay for complex surface transportation projects.

However, Deputy Mayor Karen Schleimer continued to criticize her colleagues for failing to explore a prefabricated bridge rather than being wedded to the existing design. Schleimer said it could limit the work time and/or the expense.

“The answer is to do it the right way so you don’t overextend and you don’t overwhelm your taxpayers and do it the right way,” she said. “Believe me, we’re all sensitive to the fact that people are hurting and traffic is a nightmare and businesses are being hurt.”

For Bueti, he’s confident that Mount Kisco Wines & Spirit will survive this, but wants the village to communicate more effectively to merchants and residents about progress. Updates should be at the start of every meeting agenda, he said. 

It’s difficult to imagine that it could be as long as two years before there’s a reopened bridge.

“I would have to say everyone’s getting hurt to some degree,” Bueti said. “We’re probably the most because we’re at the foot of it.”