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Council Moves On Riverbed Purchase For Walking Bridges

Jamestown City Council has started the process to become the owners of the riverbed along the Chadakoin River where the two pedestrian bridges will be installed along the Greater Jamestown Riverwalk later this year.

On Monday, council approved the two resolutions under new business to start the ownership procedure. Following the meeting, Sam Teresi, Jamestown mayor, said the city needs to become the owners of the riverbed where the two pedestrian bridges will cross the Chadakoin River. He said city officials need to complete the ownership process in order to receive state permits to install the bridges.

Teresi said lakes and rivers that are considered tributaries to lakes are owned by the state, but there is no known owner of the Chadakoin Riverbed.

”This will take care of the legal process,” Teresi said.

In October 2014, state officials announced the city would receive $1.6 million in funding for the construction of the two bridges. The $2 million project will require the city to use $400,000 as a local match from First Instance Urban Development Action Grant funding.

The twin bridges will be prefabricated, with one going from Panzarella Park to the Riverwalk’s north shore extension and the second bridge will be below the Washington Street Bridge and connect both sections of the Riverwalk running along the Chadakoin River.

Once both bridges have been installed, which is slated to be completed by the end of 2017, people will have more options for crossing the Chadakoin River.

By connecting both sides of the river, the bridges will allow for more connectivity throughout the city, which will give people more options for when they want to visit downtown retail businesses and restaurants. Along with city and state officials, Clark Patterson Lee, Prudent Engineering and R.K. Hite & Co. are working on the pedestrian bridges project.

Teresi said the installation of the two pedestrian bridges will be one of several projects happening in the downtown area along the river this summer. He said the BPU will also be proceeding with a dismantling project of two coal boilers, the county will be proceeding with the Main Street Bridge rehabilitation project and there will be the Main Street railroad viaduct renovation project.

”This will be a busy area of the city this summer,” Teresi said.

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