By Wendy Post —
On Friday, Aug. 22, equipment hauled by a business called Skyworks didn’t clear the underpass on North Avenue in Owego and subsequently hit the railroad bridge above it. The accident forced the closure of Route 96 for traffic in both directions while crews worked to clean up fluids and debris from the wreck.
According to the Owego Fire Department Chief, Eric Hawkins, the road was closed from about 3:30-6:30 p.m. that day and the cleanup was handled by the fire department. Valu Auto assisted with towing. There were no injuries reported.
The underpass is no stranger to these types of accidents. According to the Owego Police Chief, Joseph Kennedy, the bridge gets “clipped” quite often.
With a clearance of 14-feet and 2-inches, according to the Owego Police Department and the Fire Chief, who measured the height following the crash and after the equipment was moved out of the way, a sign is not required by the Department of Transportation for the underpass.
On Friday, Aug. 22, heavy equipment owned by a business called Skyworks failed to clear the underpass in downtown Owego, New York, and on North Avenue, forcing the street to close for several hours. Photo provided by officials at the scene.
The police chief noted, however, that often the loads that the trucks coming through are carrying shift, which can create a problem.
He also noted that the load on Friday hit the bridge hard.
“You can actually see where the machinery hit the bridge,” Chief Kennedy added.
The hard-hit underpass remains a topic in the village, as its clearance is constantly compromised, and the dip below it fills up quickly with water when there are heavy rain events, causing flooding and often prompting its closure.
There have been talks in past years about finding a fix or bypass for the underpass – talks that stall once the costs of such a project are discussed by village officials and when the topic of ownership is on the table.
According to public documents, Norfolk Southern Railroad owns the railroad bridge that runs over North Avenue; the actual road, State Route 96, is managed by the New York State Department of Transportation.
A set of stairs leading from the underpass to higher ground is owned by the bordering properties. These stairs have also been pointed out by area residents on social media as being unsafe.
We reached out to Michael Worthley, Norfolk Southern Railroad’s Public Information Officer, as well as the Village of Owego Mayor, Michael Baratta III, for this report but did not receive a response.
The Department of Transportation deferred to Norfolk Southern Railroad for further questions.
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