By Carol P. Bartold

Jun. 10, 2015:  Mayor Mary Marvin updated the Bronxville Board of Trustees on three major village projects at the board's June 8 meeting.

Parkway Road Bridge

"I think people will be delighted," she said. "The Parkway Road bridge work has begun." Initial work will be on the steel structure on the underside of the bridge, Marvin said, and might not be readily visible. She indicated that she will have a more detailed report to give on the progress of the bridge repair at the trustees' July meeting.

The New York State Department of Transportation closed the bridge in July of 2013 after finding significant structural deterioration during a routine biennial inspection in May of that year. Work on the bridge was delayed when the initial bidding process yielded only two bids, both higher than the estimated repair cost.

The board of trustees accepted a base bid of $348,970 from the Arben Group LLC from a second round of bids.

FEMA Flood Mitigation Project 

Bids for the FEMA flood mitigation project ranged from approximately $9.8 million to approximately $12.4 million, substantially higher than the original estimate. According to Marvin, FEMA estimated the costs to be $6.9 million in 2011 dollars.

Marvin indicated that, in light of all the bids significantly exceeding FEMA's estimations, village engineers J. Robert Folchetti & Associates performed a cost-benefit analysis of the project according to the FEMA model.

Despite the high bids, Marvin said, the analysis by the village engineers demonstrated that the project's benefits outweigh its estimated costs, given the significant damage to The Bronxville School from flooding in recent years.

As a next step, FEMA will conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the project independent of that by village engineers. "It's in FEMA's hands to run the same test," Marvin said.

According to Marvin, when FEMA completes its cost-benefit analysis, the village will apply to the agency for additional funds to complete the project.

Kensington Road Development Project 

Mayor Marvin reported that residents can expect rock removal from the construction site to cease in about two weeks. "It's definitely winding down," she said. Developer Gateway Development, Inc. had to remove approximately 10,000 cubic yards of rock to excavate the site for a 309-space, two-level parking garage.

Two four-story Mission-style condominium structures housing 54 one- and two-bedroom units will sit atop the parking garage.

Citing safety concerns about blasting adjacent to its tracks, Metro-North Railroad denied a permit to blast the rock from the site. In lieu of blasting, Gateway used two machines to chip rock and lift the pieces from the site.

"I do know it's very noisy," Marvin said, "and I appreciate the folks on Kensington Road. Thank you for your patience. The end is near on that one."

The Bronxville Board of Trustees will meet on Monday, July 13, at 8:00 pm in the trustees room at Village Hall.

Pictured here:  Parkway Road. 

Photo by N. Bower