STONE HARBOR – Borough officials recently got an update on the county’s schedule for the replacement of the historic 96th Street Bridge, which is the main entrance and exit point to the mainland for the municipality.
Borough Administrator Joseph Clark on Sept. 16 told the Borough Council that projects of this type have significant “regulatory backdrop,” as a partial explanation for some of the delays encountered.
Clark said the current plan calls for obtaining the bridge permit by Oct. 1, followed closely by Department of Transportation concurrence by Nov. 1.
The next milestone in the schedule after that is March 1, 2026, by which time the county expects to have received the concurrence of the state comptroller and final approval of an Infrastructure Bank grant. This schedule would allow advertising for bids in April, with bids received by Aug. 1. An award would follow, with tentative start of construction in September 2026.
Clark said that construction, from September 2026 to May 2027, “will all be outside the footprint of the current bridge,” which means no major disruptions to traffic flow.
Following the summer season of 2027, the temporary fixed-space span would be ready for vehicle traffic sometime in the fall of 2027 or the following winter, but boats would only be able to use the waterway if they fit below the fixed span, which will not open for maritime traffic.
Clark did not have a projection for when the bridge project would be completed with a new permanent bridge, which will open to boat traffic, in place. He promised to keep the public informed of any schedule changes.
The county’s Comprehensive Bridge Replacement and Improvement Plan states: “The county must replace this span as soon as possible.” It also states: “Preserving the service life of this structure is the county’s priority until the bridge span can be replaced.”
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
