Piermont Aims to Restore Rockland Road Bridge

For a small village, Piermont houses a handful of historic bridges.

The , one of the region's few drawbridges, is located downtown; just north of the village is the Tappan Zee Bridge, which in the next decade.

Then there is the lesser known Rockland Road Bridge, a small stone span that crosses Sparkill Creek and has fallen into disrepair over time. Currently, Piermont officials are working to restore it.

The crossing—which connects Piermont and Ferdon Avenues and was built in the late nineteenth century—is littered with orange traffic cones.

"Rockland Road bridge is a unique, historic part of Piermont that has been in disrepair for several years," said Christopher Sanders, Piermont's mayor.

labored to place the bridge on the National Registry of Historical Places, and succeeded—it was added to the list in 2005. Still, it is in dire need of more attention.

Village officials solicited proposals in the past to repair the bridge, but estimates proved too costly; engineers and construction companies guessed the process would run the village around $1.6 million. "They were physically going to rebuild that bridge," Sanders said, explaining the high price tag.

Now, the village is simply looking to restore the bridge, a less pricey option that runs about $400,000. "We're looking to create a park-like environment on the bridge," Sanders said.

Piermont already has about $200,000 in grant funds to go toward the project, and is currently seeking another, $130,000 grant from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

(Piermont's grant writer, Sylvia Welch, will head the effort. She recently won Piermont a new police vehicle—read the details .)

The next step is an engineering survey that would cost approximately $5,000. Then, the restoration. "We're hoping to commit funding so that it can be worked into the budget for next year," Sanders said.