The Caneadea Bridge is a closed bridge that carried East Hill Road over the Genesee River in Caneadea, New York. The historic crossing was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 for its significance as it was the oldest and longest of two surviving camelback through trusses in the state.
An earlier bridge carried East Hill Road over the Genesee River in Caneadea before it washed away in a flood in 1902. 2 It was replaced by a camelback Parker through truss by the Groton Bridge Company in November 1903 2 4 at the cost of $6,360. The span was rehabilitated in 1973.
In 1993, the county declared the Caneadea Bridge unsafe for automobile traffic and it was closed as it had no financial means to repair it. The “Save the Caneadea Bridge Committee” worked for the following 14 years to raise funds for the bridge’s rehabilitation. The fundraisers, in addition to $550,000 in state funding, allowed for major renovations to proceed, which included replacing the abutments and adding strengthening cables to the bottom chord. The Caneadea Bridge reopened in 2007, with $9,032 in leftover funds designated for maintenance. 4
The Caneadea Bridge closed again on June 26, 2012, because of structural deterioration. 5 In August, an engineering firm was hired to study what would need to be done to reopen the bridge to traffic. 6 The county is currently exploring using Transportation Alternatives Program grant funding to reopen the bridge for pedestrian traffic. 1
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Sources
- “Allegany County: Lawmakers want to seek grant for rehab of non-vehicular bridges in Hume & Caneadea.” Regional News Network, 25 Apr. 2014, article.
- Petrick, Michelle. National Register of Historic Places Registration: Caneadea Bridge. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, 19 Nov. 1998.
- “Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 11/16/98 Through 11/20/98”. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service, article.
- Quinn, Brian. “Allegany County gets nest egg for Caneadea bridge maintenance.” Wellsville Daily Reporter, 1 Mar. 2009.
- “Caneadea bridge on county Road 46 closed indefinitely.” Wellsville Daily Reporter, 26 Jun. 2012.
- Quinn, Brian. “Engineer to study bridge needs.” Wellsville Daily Reporter, 28 Aug. 2012.
