By Patricia Breakey
Delhi News Bureau
June 13, 2009 04:00 am FRASER _ A historic stone arch bridge on West Platner Brook is slated for demolition, much to the chagrin of two men who hope to save the century-old structure. John Burgin, 73, of Fraser, said he researched the history of the bridge. He found that the contract to build the bridge was given to John Fraser, but there is no record of the stonemasons who constructed the span. The dry-laid bridge was built in the late 1880s or early 1890s. "There should be a way to save that bridge," Burgin said Tuesday. "I would surely hate to see it taken down, and I think there would be a way to straighten the road and use just a portion of the bridge. "I believe it would last as long as any of us, and I'd like to see it stay there," Burgin added. "I still have an idea in the back of my head of how to save it, but I don't know if anyone will listen." Burgin said there is a deep hole on the lower side of the bridge that has been a popular local swimming spot since his father was a boy in the 1920s. "We used to go there late in the evening during the summer, after the warm water from up the brook had come down," Burgin said. "It was some good place to swim." Jeffrey Strassenburg, of Unadilla, said that in the course of his work, he had come upon the old handmade stone arch culvert. "I'm hoping that The Daily Star might take an interest and hopefully help lead to the preservation of this historic culvert," Strassenburg said. Strassenburg said the bridge is built on solid bedrock, and is large enough to handle the flow of the brook. "The bridge is beautiful, it's intact and there is no reason to knock it down," he said Wednesday. "If there was a picnic table there, people could come and enjoy the lovely site and the little waterfall." Delhi Town Supervisor Peter Bracci said, "I went out of my way to try to save the arch bridge. It was the only thing left standing after the 2006 flood. Every other bridge and culvert washed downstream and was stopped by the arch bridge." Bracci said a lot of people have sentimental feelings about the bridge, but he wasn't able to find an engineer willing to guarantee the bridge's structural integrity. "If we could build a consensus of enough people who want to save the bridge, maybe something could be done," Bracci said. Efforts have been made Bracci said he has contacted someone to see if portions of the bridge, including the keystone, can be saved and rebuilt somewhere. Helen Casey, Delaware County Historical Association librarian, said stone arch bridges are "artifacts from the past and magnificent engineering feats that have withstood the test of time." Casey said she doesn't know of anyone who has collected information on such bridges in Delaware County. Delhi Highway Superintendent Robert Howard said he has worked with FEMA and with the State Historic Preservation Association on paperwork to repair or replace the bridge. "It's been declared unsafe, and more than 50 percent of it is in need of repair," Howard said. "The ruling to demolish it was handed down by FEMA." Delaware County Public Works Commissioner Wayne Reynolds said the bridge is located in a confined space, which makes bypassing it to build another bridge in a different location a physical impossibility. "It is literally between a rock and a hard place," Reynolds said. "The land slopes down sharply on either side, and it is on bedrock." Reynolds said the arch bridge made it through the flood, but it was damaged because water rushing over it removed most of the backfill that stabilizes and strengthens the structure. "It's built of native sandstone," Reynolds said. "Just upstream from the bridge, there is evidence of stone mining in the bed of the stream, so I am almost sure that the stone to build it was mined right there." Reynolds said that after the flood, he wouldn't certify it as safe to drive over. While the road is open, it is angled so it goes across just one corner of the bridge. Bids on the new bridge project are scheduled to be opened July 13. ___ Patricia Breakey can be reached at 746-2894 or at stardelhi@stny.rr.com.
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Photos
The bridge on West Platner Brook in Delhi. (Contributed photo)