The County Route 8 bridge over the Chemung River, known as the Lowman Crossover Brodge, will undergo a rehabilitation study this year.

The Chemung Countyn Legislature approved an agreement at its April 9th meeting with Barton and Loguidice, P.C. of Syracuse. The bridge was built in 1988, using concrete box beam technology that was state of the art, but is now outdated. Work includes completion of a study to determine the scope of a future design and rehabilitation project. The final product of the study will include the determination of the scope and prioritization of needed repairs developed through cost/benefit analysis and service life estimates.

The concrete box beams of this 25 year old bridge are showing signs of distress along the fascia (outside) beams. This study will determine if the facia beams or the entire superstructure should be replaced.

“The Lowman Crossover is a vital connection to I86 in the southern portion of our county and very important the the residents of the 15th legislative district,” 15th District Legislator Rodney J. Strange said. “We need to make sure this structure is safe and if not, it must be fixed,” Strange said. The Lowman Crossover is located in the Town of Ashland/Village of Wellsburg in the 15th District.

The study will be done in the summer of 2013 and the work will be scheduled in either 2015 or 2016.