The New York State Department of Transportation recently began a $9.9 million project to rehabilitate three Erie County bridges serving over 25,000 vehicles daily. Marie Therese Dominguez, state department of transportation commissioner, stated that this effort will enhance the transportation network in Western New York and sustain ongoing investment in the Buffalo area.
Two bridges in Buffalo carry Fillmore Avenue and Grider Street over State Route 33, while the third spans State Route 5 over Eighteen Mile Creek in Evans. The Fillmore Avenue bridge, constructed in 1965, will close in spring 2025 and is set to reopen by year-end.
Built in 1968, the Grider Street bridge’s renovation started on Monday and is expected to reopen by mid-November. Both bridges will undergo deck and joint replacements, pier rehabilitation, steel repairs, and rail upgrades. The State Route 5 bridge, built in 1931, will see joint replacements starting this summer.
Erie County lies along Lake Erie’s shore in western New York State with a population of 954,236 as per the 2020 census; Buffalo serves as the county seat and constitutes about 28% of its population. Erie County and Niagara County together form the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area, the state’s second-largest after New York City.
