There has been some recent news relative to the Chautauqua Lake Bridge. There was one announcement by the DOT that related to planning for new detour routes once the eastbound section of the bridge is completed. This will require new routing for traffic on nights when the bridge is closed for construction activities.

Another news item was more somber, as a worker fell from the bridge and was injured. The person injured, as I understand it, was an inspector…not a part of the actual construction crew. Nevertheless, it reminded us that there are risks on construction projects of this type.

The person fell onto the sub-decking which was constructed primarily to catch debris, and it happened at night which may have contributed to the accident. Reports are that the individual concerned is out of danger and now recovering, which is good news.

There was another news report related to the finishing of the bridge reconstruction job making it sound as though it could be completed this year. That is just not possible.The DOT will be lucky if they can get the eastbound side of the bridge reconstructed with new decking before snow and bad weather stops work this year.

As previously reported, there has been a lot more steel repair needed than was originally thought. This has slowed things down. The flip side of that, the good side, is that when reconstruction begins on the westbound lanes, presumably next year, the job should go faster because of lessons learned on repairing the two eastbound lanes.

I don’t know if you have noticed, but the new bridge being built will have a continuous concrete wall on the outside. You can see it quite well as you cross from Stow to the Bemus side. This is just a guess, but it looks like the eastbound side with new concrete decking and wall are about a quarter to maybe a third completed.

I was hoping that perhaps a pedestrian walkway could be built in conjunction with this new bridge construction — but that is not happening, Yet, it is good to see that this new continuous wall on the outside lane will provide more safety and, yet, is still low enough to give people an open view of the lake as they are driving across. Apparently, the “jersey barrier” type wall will still be used on the inside lane.

Sometimes now, as you cross the bridge, your windshield may be covered by the spray from water nozzles that are cooling the newly poured concrete deck and wall. The cooling spray operation seems to last for only a day or two and is not a big impediment to driving.

You may also have noticed a couple of big units which are compressors with large hoses attached. These are being used for sandblasting and painting the bridge’s superstructure. The color is a dark brown, but the paint itself is a new thing. The old bridge had a similar look, but it was just the natural rust and aging that gave it its look…it was never painted.

Lastly, remember the speed limit when you are crossing. It is being enforced and is important for the safety of those working on the bridge.

Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident.