Riverhead, Southampton both sign on to apply for bridge funds
He said the answers to issues like the cost of the project and whether boats can pass under it will be determined by the feasibility study.
It’s possible the study could find that the cost will be much higher than anticipated, Mr. Zappone said, but he doubts that will be the case. He said the Coast Guard will also be involved in determining how high the bridge must be.
At Thursday’s Southampton Town Board work session, Eric Wright and Jim Mansky of AECOM discussed some of the pedestrian bridges they have built and presented some ideas for the Riverside bridge. Mr. Mansky is a former U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regulatory agency chief and said another member of their team is a former Coast Guard bridge and permit administrator.
“We think this is a unique opportunity and we’re excited about the potential,” Mr. Wright said.
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One of the challenges AECOM faces in designing the bridge is complying with requirements of the federal Americans with Disability Act, which could mandate that it have an elevator. One bridge design Mr. Wright showed the board had what he called a “boomerang” design, in which the ramp leading to the bridge ran sideways along the shoreline to reduce the ramp’s steepness for ADA compliance reasons.
But he said the bridge idea has a lot of potential.
“We want this to become a place where, when people think of Riverhead or Riverside, this is what they think of,” Mr. Wright said.
Mr. Mansky said some of the issues that will have to be considered include whether to put lights on the bridge for night use, its impact to birds and whether or not to allow fishing from the bridge.
“A lot of people would like to do that, but I’m sure the kayakers wouldn’t be thrilled,” he said.
Mr. Taldone said in an interview that the bridge could help bring people to downtown Riverhead and Riverside, which Southampton Town is currently attempting to revitalize through the hiring of a “master developer” for the area.
The bridge, he said, is part of an overall Riverside redevelopment plan that also includes a widened traffic circle — a $4 million project that was included in Suffolk County’s recent capital budget — and a possible sewer system that would support more commercial development there.
Mr. Taldone said the bridge would benefit Riverhead as well.
“It would be adding a 14-acre park to downtown Riverhead,” he said. People shopping in Riverhead or visiting the aquarium could walk across the bridge to a new park in Riverside, he said, and people in Riverside could walk across the bridge to shop in downtown Riverhead.
Ray Pickersgill, executive director of downtown’s Business Improvement District, echoed support for the project.
“It’s another plus for downtown Riverhead,” he said.
Mr. Zappone said an response to the grant application should come through in September or October. He said he’s also looking for multiple sources of grant money for the project.
