Crews have been working hard to finish construction on the route 8 bridge, which was supposed to be done Tuesday morning.
Jim Piccola, New York State Department of Transportation Public Information Officer, says the construction delay is related.
“We had some torrential rain coming down, which ended up delaying us a little bit,” Piccola said. “Putting down pavement markings and getting the actual detours set in place. But once the contractors got going, we continued to work 24/7.”
The 24-hour delay has gotten mixed reaction, with some people saying they don’t mind the construction, while other say they do. Clifford Talbot was a customer at a local business. He says:
“I’d rather see the guys working and fix the bridge before it falls and kills somebody, because they’ve been falling around the country,” Talbot said. “That’s part of life. A little inconvenience is minor compared to fixing up the road.”
Some business owners say their businesses have been impacted by the construction, and are not happy about the delay.
“Not only are the streets blocked off, but all the exits for all the ramps are also blocked off.” Daylight Donuts owner Chuck Sadallah said.
“I’ve had customers telling me it’s taking them a half an hour to get here and I’ve had many customers telling me they just gave up because it’s too hard to get here.”
Although overnight rain is expected, Piccola says that shouldn’t delay construction any further.
The bridge is expected to be finished by Wednesday morning.
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