July 6, 2015

Contact:

deppressoffice@dep.nyc.gov, (845) 334-7868

Dividing Weir Bridge at Ashokan Reservoir to be Closed for Less Than one Hour on Tuesday Morning

Closure will allow for removal of crane; motorists encouraged to avoid Reservoir Road

The Dividing Weir Bridge that carries Reservoir Road over Ashokan Reservoir will be closed for less than one hour on Tuesday morning to allow for the removal of an overhead crane that had been used for construction inside the weir. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) expects the bridge to close about 5 a.m.  Workers with flags will be stationed at both ends of the bridge, located in the Town of Olive, to control traffic during the brief closure. During that time a forklift will remove the overhead crane that had been used to replace four sluice gates inside the weir. The steel gates – each measuring 15 feet tall and weighing 7 tons – are used to move water from the west to east basin of the reservoir. The new gates replaced the original gates that were installed a century ago.

Once the crane is removed, the Dividing Weir Bridge will return to one lane of traffic with signals on both sides. The bridge was reduced to one lane of traffic in February, pending a project to repair weathering on its concrete arch supports. That repair project is expected to be complete later this year.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than one billion gallons of high quality water each day to more than 9 million New Yorkers. This includes more than 70 upstate communities and institutions in Ulster, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties who consume an average of 110 million total gallons of drinking water daily from New York City’s water supply system. This water comes from the Catskill, Delaware, and Croton watersheds that extend more than 125 miles from the City, and the system comprises 19 reservoirs, three controlled lakes, and numerous tunnels and aqueducts. DEP has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and other professionals in the upstate watershed. In addition to its $70 million payroll and $157 million in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $1.7 billion in watershed protection programs—including partnership organizations such as the Catskill Watershed Corporation and the Watershed Agricultural Council—that support sustainable farming practices, environmentally sensitive economic development, and local economic opportunity. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program with nearly $14 billion in investments planned over the next 10 years that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.