John Mason is reporting in the Register-Star detours on two major Columbia County arteries are planned for 2016. Bridges on Route 66 outside of Hudson and on Route 9H near Bell's Pond in Livingston, will be replaced, according to the New York State Department of Transportation. Route 66 will be closed to northbound traffic at the bridge over Claverack Creek. A detour for northbound cars will be put in place sometime in April and continue until November 2016, at least. Northbound cars will be directed on a six-mile detour, taking Route 23B east to Route 9H, and then Route 9H north to Route 66. Southbound traffic into Hudson will not be affected. At nearly the same time, Route 9H will be closed at the bridge over the Taghkanic Creek, west of Spook Rock Road, near Hildebrandt’s Trucking. The bridges were chosen for repair based on their high susceptibility to scour, their small and inadequate openings, and their foundation types. Scouring refers to the damage done to a bridge’s substructure by floodwater. Widening the opening strengthens a bridge by allowing more water to flow under it without harming the bridge. Read the full story in the Register-Star.