Ogdensburg to get $2m to repaint bridge

The $2 million grant was announced in a joint press release by U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.

The funds are being provided through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery Grant Program.

The federal infrastructure grant initiative is most often referred to by its acronym TIGER.

Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority Executive Director Wade A. Davis said the federal money will play a key role in helping maintain the bridge and preserve the role it plays in providing an economic lifeline to Northern New York.

He said the grant award would not be possible with the support of the state and region’s elected representatives.

“The TIGER grant is an essential step in a multi-year approach for the rehabilitation of the Ogdensburg Prescott International Bridge; a structure which is vital to the economy of our region,” Mr. Davis said in a statement. “Through the tireless advocacy of Senators Gillibrand, Schumer and Congresswoman Stefanik this key rehabilitation project will now become a reality and the authority is very thankful for their advocacy efforts.”

The TIGER grant program provides money for road, rail, transit, and port projects that are considered critical to the nation’s infrastructure, according to federal officials.

The Ogdensburg-Prescott Bridge handles over 800,000 vehicles annually and is an important thruway for billions of dollars of goods each year, according to Sen. Schumer.

He said the funding will specifically be used to pay for critical repairs to replace portions of the failing, lead-based paint protection system on the bridge’s steel girder that spans the United States side.

The paint will be replaced with an environmentally friendly, zinc-based paint that will protect the bridge and help avert potential lead pollution of the environment.

The project will use “cutting-edge bridge modeling and monitoring technologies” to minimize its costs, according to the release.

The completion of the project will also ensure that the bridge stays open to service the needs of Americans and Canadians, officials said.

“The Ogdensburg-Prescott Bridge is vital to the North Country’s economy, with billions in imports, exports and visitors crossing the bridge every year,” Sen. Schumer said in a statement. “This new federal investment is exactly what the North Country needs to bring our infrastructure into the 21st century”

Sen. Gillibrand called the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge an important asset to the region.

“It is a major point of entry that links the United States with Canada, our country’s largest trade partner, and is an important artery for getting travelers and goods between the two countries,” she said.