By Ashley M. Casey

Associate Editor

The Van Buren Town Board passed a resolution at its July 21 meeting opposing the New York State Thruway Authority’s proposal to remove the Canton Street Bridge over the Thruway.

Onondaga County Legislator Ken Bush provided the Messenger with an email chain about the proposal. According to Senior Managing Engineer Wendell Buckman of Barton and Loguidice, the Thruway Authority plans to replace the Warners Bridge and remove the Canton Street Bridge.

According to Van Buren, the bridge has played an integral role in “connectivity for communities located along the Thruway corridor, at that time, for social, economic, agricultural, industrial, educational and future growth and expansion.”

“The town of Van Buren considers the proposed removal project to be environmentally, socially and economically short-sighted as well as detrimental to public safety and established vehicle and pedestrian traffic for the walking residents, students and school buses,” the resolution reads.

The Van Buren Town Board will send its resolution to Thruway Authority Executive Director Matthew J. Driscoll, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Congressman John Katko, Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli and the office of the NYS Senate District 50, which is currently vacant. The state senate seat — long held by John A. DeFrancisco — was held for one year by Bob Antonacci, who resigned in December 2019 to become a justice of the New York State Supreme Court.

Van Buren Highway Superintendent Doug Foster said he travels the bridge daily as a resident and used to plow the route for the Onondaga County Department of Transportation. He said removing the bridge would be dangerous to drivers.

“I believe that would be an incredible safety hazard for both plow visuals and anyone who traverses the area. That’s a bad intersection to begin with,” Foster said.

Foster explained that without the bridge, there would have to be a barrier installed at the intersection of Canton Street and Brickyard Road.

“That barrier would basically have to be at roadside edge at Brickyard so if you went off the intersection even at the shoulder you would hit a large, immovable object that would at the very minimum damage your car or, God forbid, cause the loss of human life,” Foster said.

Van Buren Supervisor Claude Sykes said results would be even more disastrous with a snowplow or tractor trailer.

Sykes said to remove a bridge that is a “vital crossover of the Thruway flies in the face” of the state’s initiative to encourage economic development in Central New York.

Sykes said SYSCO Foods, the Memphis-Warners Fire Department, the West Genesee School District, Onondaga County DOT and several residents in the area are opposed to the bridge removal as well. He said many pedestrians use the bridge to walk to school and church.

“It’s not like they’re going to walk three-quarters of a mile to go out the other way if that bridge is gone, so it would be increased traffic through Brickyard and 173,” Sykes said.

Deputy Supervisor Mary Frances Sabin said the Thruway Authority indicated to the town three years ago that it would not remove the bridge.

“So it was a surprise when this came back up,” Sabin said.

Sykes said federal highway dollars could be involved in the project, so Katko may be able to provide guidance on that angle.

“It would be crazy in my estimation for the Thruway Authority to remove this,” Sykes said.

Sykes said the state previously cited the proximity of the Canton Street Bridge to the Route 173 Bridge as a reason for removal, but he noted the Electronics Parkway Bridge is only 800 feet away from the Interstate 81 Bridge in Liverpool, while the Canton Street Bridge is about 2,200 feet away from the Route 173 Bridge.

“It’s a broken promise by the New York State Thruway Authority,” Councilor Darcie Lesniak said. “They collect a fee, a toll, from all of us who use it regularly. It’s their responsibility to fix this bridge. Sorry if it costs a lot.”

Councilor Wendy Van Der Water said the safety hazard of removing the bridge would bring down property values in the area as well.

Baldwinsville Mayor Dick Clarke sent a letter to Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli protesting the bridge removal as well. Clarke said removing the bridge would adversely affect businesses, schools, emergency response and the hamlet of Warners.

“First, the removal of the bridge effectively divides this hamlet and affects fire department response. The county is against the removal of the bridge from its road, a road that has a steep incline coming from Baldwinsville and that steep incline will abruptly end with drivers facing a guardrail dead ahead. A disaster in the winter,” Clarke wrote. “This is not some country road that impacts two or three homes. This is a main connector between Baldwinsville and Camillus.”