YULAN — In collaboration with Town of Highland officials, Sullivan County’s Division of Public Works (DPW) has agreed to install a temporary bridge across Beaver Brook while replacing a heavily used bridge on County Road 22 (Beaver Brook Road) in Yulan.

“We had a great meeting with Highland Supervisor Jeff Haas, Town Councilwoman Kaitlin Haas and DPW Commissioner Ed McAndrew to ensure a solution that wouldn’t inconvenience Highland residents and travelers more than necessary,” Legislature Chairman Robert A. Doherty said.

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation is mandating County Bridge 77 – a combination of a bridge over Beaver Brook and a dam holding back Toasperns Pond – be reconstructed to double its span from 50 feet to 100 feet in length, in order to widen the spillway beneath.

A public informational meeting about the project was held Thursday, May 18 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Highland Town Hall, 4 Proctor Road, Eldred. As was explained at the meeting, the NYS Department of Transportation has agreed to provide a grant funding 95% of the total estimated $5 million project. Work is expected to begin in the spring of next year and last into the fall. A temporary, single-lane, traffic light-controlled bridge will be installed immediately downstream so that traffic can pass during construction.

“Emergency responders and school bus drivers won’t have to make time-consuming detours, and travelers won’t have to spend more gas driving out of their way,” Doherty noted. “I’m glad we were able to make this happen, and I thank my colleagues on the Legislature for continuing to make historic major investments in roads and bridges countywide.”

The Draft Design Approval Document, prepared by planning and design consultant Barton & Loguidice DPC, was presented at the meeting and is available for public review at the DPW office inside the Government Center, 100 North Street, Monticello. For questions or concerns, contact Bridge Engineer Robert Trotta at 845-807-0278.