NYS offers East Ave. bridge to village
By Donna Comella

Mayor Fred Pirelli received word Tuesday of a new bridge deal from New York State. When the East Ave. bridge was closed in April, local residents circulated petitions to keep it open. Now, state legislators have secured $800,000 to rehab the bridge for re-opening. Part of the deal, however, is that the village must assume ownership of the bridge.

According to a statement from Senator Mike Nozzolio and Assemblyman Bob Oaks, the two secured $450,000 from the state's Multi-Model Road and Bridge Improvement Program; Governor George Pataki directed an additional $250,000 from the program; and the final $100,000 will be contributed by the state's Department of Transportation (funds that the DOT had earmarked for the bridge's demolition).

For years, the DOT has warned that the bridge would eventually close, and in 1988, offered it to the village for $1. By 1995, the DOT deal was that the state would rehab the East Ave. bridge, the Clinton St., and the Edgett St. (for pedestrian use) if the village would take ownership of all three. Unwilling to take on that financial burden, the village bargained to have the DOT rebuild Clinton only and the state to retain responsibility of all three spans.

There was no outcry when that deal was struck, but crowds jammed the Village Board meetings when the East Ave. closed in April. North end businessman Dick Colacino spearheaded the campaign to keep the bridge open. Using advertisments and petitions, Colacino urged the Village Board to take "any action required" to get the state to repair and re-open the bridge.

Officials took their case to state legislators, but were given no hope that NY would spend money repairing a bridge so close to the N. Main St. canal bridge, especially when the Clinton bridge is scheduled to be rebuilt next year. Now, with this new offer, the money's there, but with the same old proviso - Newark gets the bridge.

Pirelli said Tuesday afternoon that he the Village Board could act on the offer within the week.

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