Brad Bentley, Chautauqua County public facilities director, wants to make sure the Harrison Street bridge can be done over one construction season.

Travelers through downtown Jamestown hope so, too.

Bentley told Chautauqua County legislators last month that the bridge replacement project should take place this summer while Harrison Street is in the midst of a reconstruction project. That plan makes sense, but Bentley said he is waiting to hear from the contractor if the project can be fit into the 2019 construction schedule. If there is any doubt, Bentley said, he plans to postpone the bridge replacement until 2020 so that the bridge isn’t out of service for the winter months. The Harrison Street bridge is a more straightforward project than was the South Main Street bridge even though the Harrison Street project includes a district heating pipe and countless other utilities.

Bentley and, we’re sure, the rest of the county Public Facilities Department staff answered countless phone calls from angry travelers as the South Main Street bridge project dragged on and on and on. And, we’re glad to see county legislators are sensitive to the public’s frustrations as well.

Kudos to Bentley and legislators for learning from the fiasco that was the South Main Street bridge project and doing their best not to repeat it.