Catskill awarded state grant for permanent Palenville bridge fix
Published on:
January 15, 2026
The Pennsylvania Avenue bridge was most recently washed out last May. Photo courtesy of the Town of Catskill.
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PALENVILLE―Bridge closure signs and detours could soon be a thing of the past on Pennsylvania Avenue now that the Town of Catskill has been awarded a $907,340 state grant.
The bridge, located near Pine Avenue, spans the Kaaterskill Creek and has been a thorn in the side of town officials and residents for decades due to its inadequate culvert.
Most recently, last May, heavy rain once again washed out the culvert, crumbling the road above and leaving it impassable.
“This project addresses an issue that has impacted the Town for more than 20 years, and we’re proud to finally be able to make a permanent repair,” Town Supervisor Patrick McCulloch said after receiving word of the funding on Thursday.
McCulloch said back in May that the Town had previously applied for three different grants to make the necessary repairs. All were denied.
“Despite this, our highway department has done everything within its power to keep the road passable and reopen it as quickly as possible after each event,” he added.
The awarded money comes through a Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) under the Resilient Watersheds Grant program. It is part of $55million in new grant funding for 24 climate resiliency projects in 15 communities.
Catskill’s award, not to exceed $907,304, is for planning, design and construction of the Kaaterskill Creek Culvert Replacement and Road Reconstruction project. The actual amount will be determined when the project in complete and final project costs have been confirmed, according to a letter to McCulloch from state Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) President Maureen A. Coleman.
The project involves replacing the three-pipe culvert on Pennsylvania Avenue and reconstructing the road by installing a six-foot rise,20-foot clear span, three-sided precast concrete culvert to improve flow of the stream. The precast frame segments would be placed onto cast-in-place footings with flared wing walls which would protect the roadway from bank erosion.
Since last fall, the Town of Catskill has been renting a temporary bridge from ADM Welding & Fabrication at a cost of around $26,000 a year.
“We are incredibly thankful to the residents for their patience and understanding over the years, and we look forward to getting this important work started,” said McCulloch.
