Metro-North Railroad invests $9.5 million in Prospect Hill Road Bridge rebuild

Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) Metro-North Railroad is rebuilding the Prospect Hill Road Bridge in Southeast through a $9.5 million investment made possible by the MTA's 2015-2019 Capital Program.

The 270-foot-long bridge, which is 107 years old, is located just south of the Southeast station; it carries Prospect Hill Road over the Harlem Line tracks and parts of Metro-North's Brewster Yard. The bridge has been deemed beyond the point of repair. The MTA Board approved a contract to the firm Halmar International for the design and construction of the replacement bridge on April 26.

The first element of the reconstruction will involve the demolition and removal of the bridge, piers, abutments and roadway approaches, as well as clearing trees, shrubs, stumps and rubbish from the future right-of-way. Utility poles will be excavated, removed and re-installed for structural work; crews will then construct new utilities, including communications, signals and power. When this work is finished, the stage will be set for crews to install new abutments, piers, bridge substructure and superstructure, roadway approaches, sidewalk, striping, signage, guide rails, fencing, retaining walls, grading and drainage. Metro-North estimates the project will take approximately twenty months to complete.

Metro-North Railroad President Joseph Giulietti said: "Metro-North has been working diligently with the Town of Southeast to rebuild the Prospect Hill Bridge. The bridge has been a key component of the town's infrastructure for over a century, and funds from the MTA's Capital Program will help maintain it well into the future. We're pleased that a new Prospect Hill Bridge will soon be a reality for Putnam residents."

The MTA's 2015-2019 Capital Program, secured by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, calls for the investment of $29.4 billion for the renewal, enhancement or expansion of the region's transportation infrastructure, is the largest capital program in the MTA's history.