Despite promises it would be done this year, construction of the Main Street bridge over the Susquehanna River will not start until next year.

The bridge is owned jointly by the towns of Otsego and Middlefield and town supervisor David Bliss, of Middlefield, said Monday the plan to begin construction following the Hall of Fame Induction weekend "fell by the wayside" because of problems with getting the design approved.

But the design of the bridge has now been approved and the only detail left is for the Department of Transportation to obtain the required construction easements, according to Bliss.

There were problems getting the state office of historic preservation to approve the bridge design, but the agency did not require a cultural resources survey. Because part of the bridge is being paid for with federal funds, it also had to be approved by the federal agency which oversees projects in historic districts. Bliss said there was some diffiuclty getting them to agree there was no need to conduct an archeological survey.

"We had to convince them we didn't need to dig," Bliss said.

That hurdle has now been cleared and they should be able to proceed with the bid process, Bliss said. The supervisor said he had not spoken with the DOT since the September 11 terrorist attacks and didn't know if that would have an impact on the bridge project.

"Funding was supposedly not an issue, said Otsego Town Supervisor Bill Gates, who agreed that it was possible the events of September 11 may come into play.

For one thing, Bliss said, I know it may be hard to find a contractor to do the job.

Last November, Senator James Seward (R-Milford) announced the two towns would be the beneficiaries of a $200,000 state grant which would cover their share of the bridge cost.

Seward said the money will help solve a lingering, long-term, potentially devastating problem - the closing of the bridge. "The bridge connects the towns of Middlefield and Otsego, and it's simply a major traffic route for people coming into the village," he said. "The state grant means the towns can complete a project long in the works without hammering the purse strings of local property tax payers."

The condition of the bridge has been deteriorating and the two towns have performed remedial work in recent years to remedy scouring around the abutments and keep the span open.

Bliss said a year ago that the approximately $1.2 million price tag for the new bridge was to be split between the federal government which would pick up 75 percent; the state, which would cover 20 percent, leaving the two towns to split the remaining five percent.

In 1998, in an effort to speed the process, the towns entered into a program in which they would hire and pay for an independent engineer to design the replacement bridge according to state standards.

The towns' efforts to hurry along the new bridge did not work well, the engineering firm changed hands and there were numerous retirements in state agencies which complicated matters. One trouble spot arose when the Department of Transportation [DOT] and the Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation had to reach agreement about the bridge railings.

Railings which not only looked historically correct, but could also stand up to DOT crash tests were not available. Finally an agreement was reached which called for poured concrete sides which would be faced with stone and be reminiscent of the current bridge. The concrete sides will be topped with a short metal railing.

It was important for the design of the bridge to be sensitive to environmental and historic considerations, Bliss said. The under structure of the new bridge will be modern, but historically correct visually. The design will also incorporate the existing historic markers into the new bridge.