Preston Way bridge might be shut 2 years

Mount Kisco blocked access to Preston Way last week, less than two hours after the New York State Department of Transportation ordered it closed. Pictured above is the closed-off side at Kisco Avenue. Martin Wilbur Photo

By MARTIN WILBUR

Last week’s sudden closure of the Preston Way bridge is expected to remain in place long-term until the span over the Metro-North train tracks is replaced.

That prospect was confirmed by Assemblymember Chris Burdick, D-93, who said he was told by New York State Department of Transportation officials that the bridge is unsafe for vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Burdick said it is possible for local motorists to expect Preston Way to be shut down for as long as two years until there is a new span in place.

“I think it would be very disingenuous for me or any other elected official, whatever, to say don’t worry we’re going to get this thing done in a year,” Burdick said. “This is a complicated project. You’re going over a railroad and it’s not replacing the deck on it; it’s replacing the bridge.”

On Monday, the Village of Mount Kisco issued a statement to alert the public that its engineering and traffic consultants are working with DOT staff on nearby traffic signal adjustments along with signage at key locations in the vicinity to try and reduce impacts. Alerts have already been posted on the Saw Mill River Parkway and Interstate 684 informing drivers of the closure, Mayor J. Michael Cindrich said.

The Dec. 3 notice from DOT Regional Director Julianne Fuda to Mount Kisco, which was received by village officials at 12:17 p.m., ordered the village to close the bridge by 5 p.m. that day. The road was shut down by about 2 p.m. Results from an inspection conducted in August cited structural supports that are unsound, Burdick said.

“An updated load rating was done for this bridge, BIN 2265420, after the recent bridge inspection,” Fuda’s order read. “The load posting required for this bridge came to be less than three tons. This bridge was already load posted to 5 tons on 3/7/2025. It is necessary to close this bridge as soon as possible in the interest of public safety.”

Fuda’s letter also stated that “any reopening of this bridge shall be only after the necessary satisfactory repairs and a subsequent full bridge inspection.”

Although Preston Way is owned by Mount Kisco, the DOT has jurisdiction over all bridges in the state.

Cindrich said there are a series of steps that must be completed before the project can go out to bid and work can begin, including completion of the design, approval from the state DOT, reaching an agreement with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and holding a public hearing.

Although the village has about $5 million in state grant money set aside for the project, the final cost at this time is unknown, Cindrich said. Design costs could be $500,000, he said. The last estimate for the full project two years ago was $8.6 million, but Cindrich said inflation and any impact from tariffs is likely to increase that figure.

“We’re not going to know the exact numbers until the project goes out to bid, and right now as it stands there are a number of things that have to be accomplished before we can even consider going out to bid,” Cindrich said.

The village has been embroiled in a dispute with the state and MTA over how much those entities may contribute to the project. In response to questions from The Recorder, the DOT responded that the bridge is village-owned and jointly maintained by Mount Kisco and the MTA.

Cindrich said in discussions with both the state and MTA, he is working on agreements so that they could pay a percentage of the cost. So far, there has been no financial commitment from either entity.

“I know it’s a challenge, but I’m going to be hard-pressed to tell the Village of Mount Kisco taxpayers — and when I say taxpayers that includes residents and business owners — that they may be exposed to significantly more debt than anticipated,” the mayor said.

State Sen. Pete Harckham, D-40, posted on social media Dec. 4 that MTA must develop “a fair and timely plan” to replace the Preston Way bridge.

“The Village should not be left to shoulder this burden alone, especially at a time when the MTA has funding available for capital projects,” Harckham stated. “The closure of this vital artery will create a significant hardship for thousands of shoppers, employees, and small businesses.”

Closure of the bridge will bring plenty of inconvenience, Deputy Mayor Karen Schleimer said. Getting around Mount Kisco will be more difficult in the peak traffic hours, but so far at other times, there has not been a significant difference, she said.

The most pressing matter is for the village, with the help of its state representatives, to complete all of the preconstruction steps in a timely fashion so the work can get underway, Schleimer said. Two years ago, projections called for construction to take close to a year.

“It will take as long as it takes depending on how long DOT and MTA take,” Schleimer said. “Obviously, they have to have input and approval. The MTA can’t run their trains under a bridge that’s under construction without a conversation.”

Cindrich said the hardship caused was made worse by the lack of notice from DOT. 

“There’s a lot of frustration because we didn’t even have a one-day notice on closing the bridge,” he said. “The notice was a few hours, so that was a challenge for us to meet that demand and we did scramble to get that done. So we had frustrated motorists, obviously, we have frustrated merchants who feel their businesses are being impacted.”