SKINNERS FALLS, NY — Brilliant March 8 sunshine and unseasonably warm temperatures induced New York State Sen. Jen Metzger to stroll across the scenic, historic Skinners Falls Bridge. Deemed unsafe by PennDOT engineers, it has been closed since October 16, 2019, the most recent of many safety closures during the bridge’s 119-year history.

Metzger was joined by 14 local leaders, among them representatives of the National Park Service (NPS), Upper Delaware Council (UDC), Route 97 Scenic Byway, Lander’s River Trips and the Cochecton Town Board. There by invitation of UDC Chair Larry Richardson, Metzger heard from all that the bridge provides a vital link between first responders and medical facilities, NPS headquarters and field rangers, and churches, families and communities on both sides of the river.

The timing was fortuitous. As Albany hashes out its budget, Metzger is attempting to secure funding for protection of the Upper Delaware watershed, a cause close to her heart. Metzger’s apparent willingness to champion restoration may be irrelevant, though, because PennDOT is the lead agency for this bridge project. The NY-PA Joint Interstate Bridge Commission oversees the upkeep of the 13 bridges spanning the Delaware between Hancock and Port Jervis (two are railroad bridges); PennDOT is the lead agency for those from Port Jervis to Skinners Falls, and NYDOT is the lead agency for those from Cochecton to Hancock.

Although everyone present agreed there must be a Skinners Falls Bridge, the agreement ended there, leaving open two options: to repair and restore the historic structure, or to replace it with a modern bridge.

Scenic Byway Chair Glenn Pontier spoke in favor of restoration, saying this bridge is the landmark that first drew the National Park Service to the Upper Delaware. And that saved the river from a New York City Water Supply plan to construct 27 dams that would have “desecrated” the river corridor. He was eventually interrupted by Cochecton Supervisor Gary Maas.

Identifying himself as a lifelong resident, Maas said during his more than 60 years, the bridge has been closed at least as much as it has been open, particularly during the last 20 years. Even when open, bridge conditions are far from ideal. One narrow lane, lined with two-by-four planks on which drivers must align their tires, allows for slow travel in one direction at a time.

Additionally, a height limitation of eight feet, six inches and a weight limitation of four tons severely restrict bridge users. Maas was in favor of a bridge, either replaced or restored well, that will not require repair for at least 20 years.
Rick Lander, owner of Lander’s River Trips, wants a bridge that can safely accommodate fire trucks, ambulances, a bus full of river trippers and a truck pulling a trailer full of canoes and kayaks.

Damascus Township UDC Representative Jeff Dexter said the Skinner family, famous for its Yankee ingenuity, would be appalled to learn that, 120 years after the construction of a bridge named in its honor, engineers can’t seem to devise a lasting repair.

The cost to rebuild is usually less than to repair. Metzger noted that fact as the primary reason old bridges are being systematically replaced. UDC Executive Director Laurie Ramie said the bridge commission meets in May, this project almost surely be on the agenda.

“State officials see this river as a boundary between two states; we see it as central to everything,” Pontier said.