October 24, 2022 | Dan Herbeck | buffalonews.com
For at least the third time since 2007, New York State officials are proposing to rebuild a decrepit bridge that runs over the Allegheny River on Seneca Nation territory in Cattaraugus County.
But replacement of the Red House Bridge will come more than a decade too late for the family of Patricia John. The 47-year-old Seneca woman died in March 2012 after falling through a gaping hole in the bridge.
“This is long overdue, but I think the new bridge is going to be built this time,” Josh Jimerson, a Seneca Nation Tribal Council member who is John’s son, told The Buffalo News on Friday. “This has been hard on my family. I have two younger sisters who have basically had to grow up without a mother.”
The state said it hopes to replace the rusty bridge – roughly 68 miles south of Buffalo and 7 miles southwest of Salamanca – by the end of next summer.
The cost of the project, which will also include road repairs on old Route 17 near the bridge, is estimated at $15 million. In a document recently posted on its website, the state Department of Transportation said it hopes to begin work next spring and finish it by the end of next summer.
John fell to her death while walking on the bridge on the night of March 30, 2012, according to the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office. She plummeted 25 feet after falling through a hole that sheriff’s investigators measured at 10 feet long and three feet wide.
“I remember walking over that bridge while we were investigating her death. There were a number of holes that were large enough for a person to fall through,” recalled Ronald Lott, a captain with the Sheriff’s Office. “Absolutely a very dangerous situation.”
The tragedy resulted in a lawsuit that the state settled in 2019, paying $850,000 to John’s survivors. During the litigation, a judge ruled that the state is responsible for the Red House Bridge and its upkeep.
Built about 90 years ago, the bridge had not received any safety inspections or upgrades since the 1980s, according to Cheryl Meyers Buth, an attorney for John’s family.
State attorneys argued in court that part of the blame for that rested with officials of the Seneca Nation, who were reluctant to allow DOT inspectors onto their territory to examine the bridge.
As The News reported in February 2020, state officials initially stated their plans to replace the bridge in 2007, estimating the cost at $11 million.
In January 2020, the state announced a second plan to replace the bridge, this time saying the work would be done in 2022 and estimating the cost at $16.5 million.
The latest plan for replacing the bridge will be discussed by DOT officials at an informal open meeting for area residents. That will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Oct. 26 at the Seneca Allegany Community Center, 3677 Administration Road, Salamanca.
When asked why the project has been delayed since 2007, a DOT spokesman noted that the bridge is on Seneca Nation land.
“As this bridge is located within Seneca Nation of Indians – Allegany Territory, site-specific arrangements and other details needed to be finalized before the project could be progressed,” the spokesman said.
He said the DOT expects to put the project up for bidding in 2023, but added that it would be “premature” to give specific construction timelines for the project.
Jimerson said he believes past delays were caused by a combination of factors, including opposition to the project by some area residents and disagreements between the state and Seneca Nation.
“We saw a terrible tragedy followed by a decade of inaction. It’s beyond time for this bridge replacement,” Seneca Nation President Matthew Pagels said. “Whatever the reasons for the years of delay, this project – and the safety of our people – needs to be a priority moving forward. Our community cannot live in fear and danger of another tragedy.”
Officially, the bridge is not open, and guardrails prevent trucks and cars from using it, but people walk over the bridge on a regular basis, said Brandon Crouse, the Seneca Nation’s chief marshal in the Allegany Territory.
“The holes have been patched up since the accident, but the bridge is in a very dilapidated condition,” Crouse said. He added that emergency vehicles have to use alternate routes in the area because the bridge is not open to them.
Jimerson lives about 15 minutes from the bridge. He said the bridge offers “very pretty views of the river,” but added that he seldom goes there.
“It brings sadness every time I drive by it,” he said.
Jimerson said he is going to be “watching very closely” to make sure the bridge project – this time – moves forward.
