The Stewart Avenue bridge will reopen soon, relieving students and residents of inconvenient detours.
“The bridge must be finished by November 21, but we are working so hard to open the bridge for traffic by the end of October,” said Hernando Gil, bridge systems engineer.
The repairs are being made for the safety of residents, Gil said.
They will replace the deck and steel pieces in the bridge. This project will mark the third time the bridge has been repaired since its construction in 1961.
The total cost of the repairs is $1,180,000. The federal government is covering 80 percent of the cost; the state government 15 percent; and the City of Ithaca 5 percent.
The bridge, which is 160 by 38 feet, has been closed since July 18.
Students’ reactions ranged from irritation to indifference.
“It turns driving around West Campus into an annoying headache,” “I wish they had fixed it over the summer,” and “It’s not a big deal” were some of the comments from Cornellians living near the bridge construction.
Archived article by Jennifer Roberts