Gov. Kathy Hochul announced last week that $5 million has been earmarked for Ulster County to replace the Hurley Mountain Road bridge that crosses the Esopus Creek. The bridge has been one of concern to the county for quite some time.

The bridge was originally built in 1958 and for several years now has been listed as being in “poor status,” according to state and county data, with its last inspection listed as occurring on June 22, 2022. While it has had some maintenance work done over the years, this new funding push will allow the structure to be replaced.

The bridge replacement funding was part of an allocation of more than $516 million for 216 state projects through the state's BRIDGE NY initiative.

"New York State is making historic investments to modernize our infrastructure and we are committed to working with our partners in local government to help ensure that their bridges and culverts are ready to meet the challenges of global climate change,” Governor Hochul stated in a press release announcing the grants. “The BRIDGE NY program provides essential funding directly to local governments to enhance the safety, resiliency, sustainability and reliability of local infrastructure, allowing more than 140 bridges to better withstand extreme weather events and keep New Yorkers safe.”

The Mid-Hudson Region received a total of $60.1 million in infrastructure funding during this latest round of disbursements. For Ulster County, the only other bridge to gain funding was the Old Mill Road bridge over Quassaick Creek in the Town of Plattekill, which received $3.135 million for its replacement. Five bridges in Orange County and one bridge in Sullivan County, the BWS Road Bridge over the Neversink River, also earned funding for replacement.