Irvington News

Irvington Lands a $1.4 million Grant to Fix Barney Creek Flooding

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July 9, 2023

By Mason Smerling–

Residents in the area around Route 9/Broadway and Harriman Road in Irvington know all too well that when it rains hard (as it seems to more and more often), the culvert that carries the water from Barney Brook underneath Broadway backs up, occasionally forcing the closure of Route 9, the major conduit for traffic through the Rivertowns. You don’t have to look much further than this past Sunday when a large rainstorm came through the village and flooded the culvert in question. For years, drivers backed up into single lane or diverted to other routes have wondered when something will be done about it.

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Fixing the problem, however, comes with a hefty price tag.
Now, New York State, through its Bridge-NY program, has awarded the village $1.4 million to enlarge the culvert in order to manage the constant flooding. Credit is due to Irvington Village Administrator Larry Schopfer and his staff, who, recognizing that the culvert was “severely undersized,” crafted a grant application to the New York State Department of Transportation last January, one of dozens of municipalities across the state competing for funds made available by Governor Hochul for just such infrastructure problems. Though the fund contained $516 million, competition from municipalities all across the state called for convincing grant application.

This weekend’s intense rains highlighted the need to address the issue as quickly as possible, residents are cautioned to exercise patience. The timing of the project, says Schopfer, remains uncertain, but he estimates that work will start in 2024, with a completion date in 2025. Residents of Downingwood community in particular, as well as anyone depending on Route 9, will be relieved to see an expanded culvert tame the excesses of Barney Creek.

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