An historic bridge carrying State Route 22 over the Boquet River in the Town of Essex, Essex County, NY, has been replaced with a new $3.4 million single span, steel girder bridge.
Route 22 is one of the longest north-south highways in New York, and one of the oldest components of the State’s highway system, running along the eastern edge of the state from The Bronx to the hamlet of Mooers in Clinton County near the Canadian border.
Built in 1933 (see the original plans here), the old 110-foot-long bridge carried about 930 motor vehicles a day over the 40-mile long Boquet River, which flows into Lake Champlain nearby.
Route 22 crosses the Boquet River three times in Essex County, The new bridge is the midpoint crossing of the three Essex County – Boquet River crossings. To the south lies the idyllic Wadhams Falls and to the north there’s world class salmon fishing in the Boquet in Willsboro.
The new bridge is 30 feet longer than the original structure, which eliminated the need for in-water construction and minimized disturbances to the river’s ecosystem and has wider shoulders (five-feet) to better accommodate pedestrians and cyclists who frequently use thee bridge.
Route 22 in Essex County is also part of the Empire State Trail, which comprises 750 miles of pathways reaching from New York City to Buffalo and Canada, and also New York State Bike Route 9, extending 345 miles from New York City to the New York – Quebec border.
The Department of Transportation removed the original Department of Public Works Bridge Marker from the old bridge prior to demolition and presented it to Essex Town Historian Todd Goff for preservation. The project received $2.7 million in federal funds from the Bi-partisan Infrastructure Law.
Although opposed by local Republican lawmakers, including Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, that law was signed by President Joe Biden in 2023.
Illustrations, from above: The new bridge’s ribbon cutting; and the 1934 Boquet River Bridge Department of Public Works plaque.
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