CHARLOTTE, N.Y. — A dredging project underway in the Genesee River is causing frequent bridge lifts and traffic delays on the O’Rorke Bridge between Charlotte and Irondequoit.
Dredging is the removal of underwater sediment like sand, silt or gravel from the bottom of a body of water. While the project may be inconvenient for bridge users, it has an important economic impact on the area.
“On this contract, we’re removing 250,000 cubic yards of material,” said Shawnn Foster, a project engineer with the Buffalo District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “And it’s important for this particular harbor because a lot of waterway transportation occurs that supports the cement industry and the concrete industry, which brought in $9 million of revenue last year alone.”…