Monroe County Department of Transportation Edgemere Drive Bridge

On the northern boundary of Greece, NY, in Monroe County, lies Lake Ontario. The shoreline is marked by several large ponds created by streams flowing into the lake. Today, Edgemere Drive, a road, runs along the shore. From the late 1800s until cars became common, the Rochester-Manitou Railroad used to run along this stretch. In the 1910s, people started buying land and building houses along the lakeshore. By the 1930s, most homes on Edgemere Drive and along the lakeshore were used seasonally. However, by the 1940s, Edgemere Drive had become a developed residential area of the northern suburb of Greece.

The Edgemere Drive bridge over Long Pond Outlet Channel, built in 1953, connects residential areas along Lake Ontario with the Town of Greece. Due to structural issues and navigational access limitations, the Monroe County Department of Transportation decided to replace the deteriorated structure. The main goal was to provide a safe crossing with a lifespan of at least 75 years. They also aimed to increase clearance for watercraft passing underneath, given the bridge’s use for recreational activities on Lake Ontario. Positioned at the outlet of Long Pond to Lake Ontario, the bridge faced challenges due to fluctuating water flow direction depending on weather conditions. Additionally, unforeseen obstructions required redesigning the soldier pile and lagging wall during construction planning.

GPI provided design and construction management services to replace the old bridge with a modern one featuring precast concrete arches. The new structure is supported on concrete footings resting on steel piles reaching down to bedrock. The design aimed to enhance navigational access for recreational use and protect imperiled freshwater mussels near the bridge. Staged construction was employed to prevent delays in emergency response times for fire and ambulance services. Despite challenges like changes to the soldier pile and lagging wall, uncertainty in precast member delivery, and working on a crowded site, construction commenced in June 2022 and finished in November, five months later. Impressively, the project was completed $200,000 under budget.