CLARENCE, N.Y. — There's an update on the long-awaited work to fix part of Tonawanda Creek Road that collapsed into the creek in Clarence.
Work is underway in to fix the 900-foot stretch that's been closed for more than five years.
“The contractor was able to get an early-season jump on the Tonawanda Creek Road project in Clarence and has been taking advantage of the weather to clear, excavate and begin the soil stabilization process at the site. Road slides pose unique challenges and these roads are very expensive to reconstruct, despite the fact that the portion of Erie County’s Tonawanda Creek Road being reconstructed is only about 900 feet long,” said Erie County Commissioner of Public Works William Geary, Jr. in a released statement. “With the weather as cooperative as it has been, the construction schedule is moving at a good pace and, weather permitting, the Erie County portion of the project should be completed in the spring.”
That work costs more than $2 million. County Executive Mark Poloncarz says that's because it's so complex because normally, $2 million dollars would fix eight miles of road.
“Due to the complexity of stabilizing the creek bank and then rebuilding the road, we knew the project would be costly and would take some time to complete but we said it would get done and now it is happening. By comparison, if we were to spend $2 million on mill and overlay road projects elsewhere in the county we could repair eight miles of road rather than 900 feet,” said Poloncarz.
Another $5 million of work is being done in Niagara County. The project is funded through federal and state aid.
Erie County's portion should be done in the spring.