Mount Kisco is launching a letter-writing campaign that it hopes will help it get the Preston Way Bridge replacement project over the goal line.
In a July 23 Facebook post, the Village Board said it recognized the “hardship” caused by the aging structure’s abrupt closing by the state Department of Transportation last December and it shared “the frustration of recent delays.”
(A safety inspection had revealed structural defects that posed significant risks to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.)
“While we wait for the final approvals and the bid process to complete, we will be collecting letters sharing the personal difficulties you’ve experienced due to the bridge,” the post said, adding that these will be compiled and sent to state and federal officials such as state Sen. Pete Harckham, state Assemblyman Chris Burdick, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Congressman Mike Lawler, and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer.
Folks were urged to send letters describing the impact of the bridge’s closure to Trustee Heather Bryant at trusteebryant@mountkiscony.gov.
The estimated $8.6 million project has dragged on due to complex funding negotiations, disputes with the MTA over the ownership and maintenance of the bridge, and the state’s recent rejection of the original design plans.
The bridge links Kisco Avenue and Route 117 (North Bedford Road).
The village is waiting for the NYSDOT and the New York Division of the Federal Highway Administration to complete a review of the bridge replacement plans with a new abutment design that was requested by the NYSDOT. Revisions were submitted by the village in June.
Village Manager Ed Brancati told the board at its July 20 meeting that the NYSDOT has told the village that it should be able to issue the bid by mid-August.
The bidding period will last six weeks and the bids could be opened by the end of September and awarded in October.
If all goes well, demolition work could start in November, he said.
The rebuild is estimated to take a year, which means Preston Way could be back in business by the end of 2027.
The village received a $5 million BRIDGE NY grant from the NYSDOT and has set aside $3.6 million in its capital projects fund. Another chunk will come through waived MTA labor fees.
However, recent inflationary trends are likely to add to the project’s final costs, noted Mayor J. Michael Cindrich, who called the whole situation a “tragedy.”
The village continues to seek out additional funding for the project from Schumer’s office and other sources.
Cindrich noted that infrastructure funds flow from the federal government to the state, but the lion’s share seems to wind up being allocated to New York City.
He suggested that the village reach out to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy for help.
Deputy Mayor Karen Schleimer urged the village to nail down exactly who’s responsible for what, not only where Preston Way Bridge’s maintenance and replacement costs are concerned, but with the other two spans over the Metro-North railroad tracks, namely Lieto Drive and Route 133.
Cindrich said certain local businesses have reported a downturn of at least “25 percent” since Preston Way was closed, adding: “And I don’t think they’re exaggerating.”
Among those businesses reportedly hurting because of the bridge closure is Mount Kisco Truck & Auto Parts on Kisco Avenue, which supplies auto, truck, and industrial parts to the trade.
It’s a family-owned business that’s been operating at various locations in Mount Kisco since 1916, according to co-owner Pete Finkelstein.
In the four decades he’s been there, he’s never felt the need to bring any concerns to the board.
Until now.
“While we are established in the community we do have plenty of competition,” he said, explaining that there are two other auto parts businesses just a few miles away, “on the other side of the bridge.”
“In the auto industry, service is everything and delivery is service. We can have the best prices, the best counter guys and crew, but when a customer has a car up on the lift, his expectation of quick delivery is Number 1.”
Following the bridge’s closure, the company had “amazing customers” who stuck with it for two or three months. But since then, it's apparent that some of them are “buying more from the competition than before.”
“I can’t blame them. They’re getting delivery from them right away and we’re going up the Saw Mill (River Parkway), coming down, or going through the town. So, it’s not easy for us,” Finkelstein said.
“There are several other businesses in town, ones that I consider friends, ones that we do business with and that I’ve known for a long time. They’re suffering as well,” he added.
Offering his help, maybe with writing letters, Finkelstein said: “I know you guys are trying, I do, but what can we, as a team, do together?”
“I don’t have the answer, Peter, but I appreciate that you know we’re doing our due diligence,” Cindrich responded.
Bryant supported the notion of a letter-writing campaign, noting that the village remains in “a bit of a holding pattern” while it waits for the okay to go out to bid.
She said she was happy to take on the task of compiling and forwarding the appeals along to state and federal officials.
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