Julia Reischel in The Watershed Post reports that eminent domain might be necessary if the Department of Transportation's preferred plan for the Route 23 bridge over the Schoharie Creek in Prattsville gets built. At a public hearing on Wed., May 27, the DOT proposed a 385-foot span with more “channel widening” of the Schoharie Creek’s stream bed to prevent future flooding in Prattsville. The former Route 23 bridge was overcome by floodwaters during Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, and an engineering report found that the bridge may have contributed to the high floodwaters on Main Street in Prattsville. “There are some potential property takings,” Bryan Viggiani, a DOT spokesman, said. “Largely slivers of land, but in the worse case scenario, one private home.” The DOT expects to begin construction of the bridge in 2016 and to complete it in 2018. Read the full story in The Watershed Post.