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Lowey Secures $27 Million To Fix Westchester Bridges

This story has been updated.

Congresswoman Nita Lowey, left, talks to a constituent Monday during Harrison's annual Columbus Day Parade.

Congresswoman Nita Lowey, left, talks to a constituent Monday during Harrison's annual Columbus Day Parade.

Photo Credit: Jon Craig
Nearly $20 million in federal money would go to upgrade two bridges spanning the Saw Mill Parkway in Pleasantville.

Nearly $20 million in federal money would go to upgrade two bridges spanning the Saw Mill Parkway in Pleasantville.

Photo Credit: File photo

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- Congresswoman Nita Lowey announced Tuesday Oct. 14 that $27 million is being allocated by the federal government to replace and strengthen bridges in Pleasantville and the Town of Cortlandt.

Lowey, a Democrat from Harrison, is the ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee. She said the money is part of $60 billion in federal assistance she helped secure for flood-related projects early last year in response to Superstorm Sandy. 

The "federal hazard mitigation grants" ensure the bridges are protected against threats from repeated flooding, according to a press statement from Lowey.

A stretch of the Saw Mill River Parkway in Pleasantville often floods during heavy rains and is part of a longer-term U.S. Army Corps of Engineer project. The bridges funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants support the Saw Mill River Parkway at Manville and Bedford roads (Route 117).

One of the most significant and destructive impacts on highway bridges is scour caused by the intensity and velocity of water from extreme natural events, according to Lowey's staff.

“Resiliency is key to helping our first responders do their jobs and keep our families safe in the face of natural disasters,” Lowey said. “These federal dollars will help ensure that roads and bridges can withstand another storm on the magnitude of Superstorm Sandy, while creating jobs and reducing the local infrastructure burden on taxpayers."

FEMA will provide two grants totaling $19,840,000 to replace single span concrete slab bridges and their support pillars that were built in 1931 in Pleasantville. 

Another FEMA grant of $7,440,000 will improve a Town of Cortlandt bridge on Route 9 built in 1964 over Dickey Brook. 

The grants are part of more than $151 million in FEMA hazard mitigation grants awarded to the state Department of Transportation for resiliency upgrades to critical and flood-prone bridges that were affected by Superstorm Sandy.

The 17th Congressional District represented by Lowey covers Yorktown, Ossining, Peekskill, Cortlandt, Chappaqua, Pleasantville, Mount Pleasant, Briarcliff Manor, Armonk, Mount Kisco, Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, Greenburgh, White Plains, Harrison, Port Chester and Rye, along with all of Rockland County.

 

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