One hundred years ago, Jamestown had a big traffic problem on its hands. Over 50 trains passed through the bustling city of 40,000 on a daily basis -- trains that utilized 13 separate at-grade crossings where they competed with a growing number of cars, trucks, pedestrians, and a busy streetcar system. The railroad's east-west route through the middle of the city -- paralleling the course of the Chadakoin River -- meant that almost anyone who traveled between the north and south sides of the city had to wait patiently for tracks to clear and traffic to flow.
The inconvenience and danger that the busy at-grade crossings posed to city residents, as well as the liabilities they posed to the Erie Railroad, brought about a project to separate train traffic from other city traffic through a system of bridges and tunnels. The effort was launched in 1912, with costs divided between the railroad (50%), the city (25%), and the New York State Public Service Commission (25%). However, due to incompetent contractors and World War I, much of the work didn't begin until the mid 1920s. The project finished in 1927, with one additional project (the Fairmount Avenue Pedestrian Subway) added in 1936 to coincide with the construction of the Sixth Street Bridge.
It’s a complete bridge rehabilitation, and will take more time to complete than a typical bridge project. That’s because of the historical significance of the two stone arches that go over the river. “They’re basically reusing the whole stone façade, taking it off stone by stone. They’ll rebuild the structure of the bridge and then put the stones back. It will look very similar to what’s there now.”
When asked about the need to repair the railroad bridges, Schlemmer said there were structural issues, since concrete on the bridges was falling and some rebar was exposed. “So the repairs to those bridges are mostly facade-type work, with partial structural rehab. They are not tearing the whole thing down; they’re just re-doing the worst of small sections.” The railroad bridges are still being used by trains on a weekly basis as the work is being done
http://route22ny.tumblr.com/post/180204379213/gregador-gregador-old-jamestown-tbt-i
http://thelakesideledger.com/bridge-project-update/
http://www.guidetojamestown.com/blog/2015/6/28/under-the-erie
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