State closes Preston Way bridge

Span’s future uncertain as village seeks help in rebuilding it

Mount Kisco Village worker sets up barricades and closing sign Thursday at the Kisco Avenue entrance to the Preston Way bridge. On Wednesday afternoon, the New York State Department of Transportation abruptly ordered the span to be immediately closed following the results of an inspection conducted in the summer. RECORDER STAFF PHOTO

By MARTIN WILBUR

The Preston Way bridge in Mount Kisco was ordered closed to pedestrians and vehicles by the New York State Department of Transportation on Wednesday afternoon, promising to create a traffic nightmare for the village.

Mayor J. Michael Cindrich said he and Village Manager Edward Brancati were abruptly informed by DOT that closure of the deteriorating bridge needed to be completed by the end of the business day. The road was closed by 2 p.m. 

It stems from a DOT inspection of the bridge that was conducted in August independent from engineers that had been retained by the village, Cindrich said. There has been no word from the agency whether short-term repairs can be done to temporarily reopen the bridge until the long-term reconstruction of the span can be started, he said.

The bridge over the Metro-North train tracks was first identified for major repairs about 10 years ago but the project has been delayed numerous times since then, mostly over funding and what other entities besides the village may be responsible for contributing financially to the cost. Cindrich said traffic will be significantly disrupted, but since the state’s inspection was completed in August, the village should have been informed earlier, especially now during the height of the holiday season.

“I accept the fact that if the engineers made a decision that any structural problems are significant, I can understand that,” Cindrich said. “It would have been nice to know back in August or September if we could have identified some of the problems and started maintenance work to keep the bridge open for a short period of time.”

The Recorder contacted the DOT but did not receive a response by deadline regarding the severity of the problem and whether there are potential short-term solutions before the replacement project gets underway.

Mount Kisco was developing a traffic maintenance plan to be implemented during the bridge replacement, which was expected to close Preston Way for up to a year, but Cindrich said he has not seen the plan. He also was uncertain whether the project is ready to go out to bid. All businesses along Preston Way can be accessed by vehicles, but the mayor said Route 133 will be burdened by the closure.

Aside from vehicular traffic, there is also concern regarding pedestrians, particularly for residents at Pinecrest Manor, many of whom walk over the bridge to Target, Stop & Shop and other stores, Cindrich said. 

“A majority of that group of people are low-income residents, so we’re trying to work on that to get the bridge open immediately for pedestrians,” he said.

Mount Kisco received a $1.9 million BRIDGE NY grant in 2018 for the bridge reconstruction when the cost estimate was $5 million. Two years ago, the village amended the grant and received $5 million from the state, but the estimated cost mushroomed to $8.6 million by January 2024, the last time there was an updated projection. In March, the DOT imposed a 5-ton weight limit on the bridge.

Village officials earlier this year expressed concern that if Mount Kisco took on most or all of the financial responsibility for the project, it would set a precedent making the village responsible for future repairs or replacement of the two other bridges in town over the Metro-North tracks.