Pony Farm Bridge

Bridge agreement has been signed.  

View the specification and contract document.

View the signed and dated agreement.

CP Rail Bridge at Pony Farm Rd in Oneonta

The CP Rail bridge has served as primary access to a small Town of Oneonta community for the past 80 years. This community currently consists of a little more than a dozen residences, a small farm & several small businesses employing 25 to 30 people.  This bridge also serves as the western entrance to an industrial park.

Restricted Access

Access to the community was restricted when I-88 was built, the CP Rail bridge to Rt 7 and a bridge over Otego Creek that connects to an old farm road leading to the industrial park & Rt 205.

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Bridge Reports
Bridge Closure Reports
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The floods in June 2006 washed out the bridge over Otego Creek. The CP Rail bridge was the only access to our community for several months. We pleaded with the Town of Oneonta officials that when the bridge over Otego Creek was replaced, it should be rebuilt with greater clearance over the creek. We were advised that funding was only available to replace the bridge with the same clearances as before the flood. We felt this was foolish since the deteriorating condition of the rail bridge was well known & the bridge over Otego Creek was now proven to be flood prone.

In August 2006, the residents & businesses in our community petitioned the town board to seek a commitment that the CP Rail bridge be repaired or replaced. In September 2006 it was announced that bridge would be replaced in the summer of 2008.

Improved Lighting

In November 2006, the town board was petitioned to install lighting over the CP Rail bridge. The board approved a resolution to install lighting but elected to wait & coordinate the installation with the bridge work.

Safety Concerns about the Rt 7 & Pony Farm Rd Intersection

In November 2006, a letter was sent to the Department of Transportation expressing concern about the safety of the Rt 7 / Pony Farm Rd intersection. When exiting from Pony Farm Rd onto Route 7 there is a problem that cars traveling east on Route 7 cannot be seen if they are just below the rise in the road. The same is true for cars traveling west on Route 7 & making a left hand turn onto Pony Farm Road. Jerry Murillo of the DOT came out & upon a cursory inspection agreed that the road sightlines would not meet current standards. He said our letter would be passed to the office in Binghamton & a study conducted. To date, the results of this study are not known.

Bridge Delay

In September 2007, we were advised us that the plans for replacement of the CP Rail bridge had slipped & that completion of the would not occur until the summer of 2009.

Bridge Closure

On January 25, 2008 the CP Rail bridge was closed. Again our community is down to one access, across the bridge over Otego Creek through the industrial park to Rt 205.

Safety Concerns about Pony Farm Rd

The section of road between the bridge over Otego Creek & the industrial park is an old farm road that is not designed nor ever been intended to carry the level or type of traffic (large delivery vehicles, school busses) it currently bears. This road has a bad turn & telephone poles are placed far to close to the shoulders of the road to safely carry the current traffic. The road is often flooded during heavy rains & due to it’s proximity to an open field snow drifts block the road in the winter. There is a very real concern about the delays for emergency vehicles attempting to service our community. The guard rails on Pony Farm Road are in disrepair. 

Bridge Repair

In February 2008, the residents & businesses in our community again petitioned the town board to get CP Rail bridge be repaired or replaced. Now the matter is urgent.

Town Board Supervisor Bob Wood & State Senator Seward contacted CP Rail but received no definitive response from CP Rail. They enlisted the help of US Senator Schumer, who sent a strongly worded letter to CP Rail dated April 15, 2008.

CP Rail responded on April 25, 2008 with plans to repair the bridge by September 2008. While this is welcome news, there is concern that the bridge be properly repaired. The bridge was built in the 1930’s. It is very narrow & has no pedestrian walkway even though it is often used by train enthusiasts.

Bridge as Town Gateway

This bridge stands at the gateway to the Town of Oneonta for those entering on Rt 7 from the west. It has long been an eyesore. Now is an excellent chance to have this entrance to our town to become a source of pride.
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