Kate Lisa is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media a Route 144 bridge replacement project in Coeymans next year will be completed in stages to minimize the impact on residents and local businesses, officials said February 14. The state Department of Transportation is scheduled to replace the aging span over the Hannacroix Creek on Route 144, or South Main Street, in 2021. The scope of the project includes the removal and replacement of the bridge deck, existing beams and abutments. The two-lane bridge was built in 1931, and carries approximately 1,400 motor vehicles per day, according to the DOT. The project has a budget of $2.6 million. Earlier this month, state officials decided to replace the bridge in stages using one-way traffic signals. At the time of a public meeting in January, officials were weighing the decision, choosing between staging or closing the bridge with a detour on Routes 143 and 9W during construction. Staging the bridge replacement will take between six and seven months. Closing the thoroughfare to traffic with the detour would have taken about 12 weeks, project manager and designer Jeff McGurn said. In making the decision to repair the span in stages, DOT was responding to concerns expressed by residents and business owners around safety and other issues. Read the full story in the Ravena Times-Herald.