New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Metro-North Railroad and the City of Mount Vernon have agreed to work together to replace up to three priority bridges that carry vehicular traffic over Metro-North’s New Haven Line tracks in downtown Mount Vernon. The bridges are located at Tenth Avenue, Sixth Avenue and North 14th Avenue.

The design and replacement project is estimated to cost $10 million with the bulk of the funding ($7 million) to be provided by the MTA Capital Program. Another $1.3 million has been secured by New York State Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow. The City of Mount Vernon anticipates receiving $1.8 million in federal funds obtained by Congressman Elliot Engel’s Office.

Once funding is secured, Metro-North will solicit contractors for the design and construction work necessary for the project. Upon completing the design and finalizing cost estimates, the parties will determine whether three or two bridges will be replaced based on the available funding. Replacement of the Tenth Avenue and Sixth Avenue bridges would begin first. The 106-foot-long Tenth Avenue Bridge, which was built in 1898, is currently closed to traffic.

The Sixth Avenue Bridge, built in 1894, which connects at Wilson Place, has a span of 65 feet and carries one lane of traffic in each direction. It was closed for two months in the summer of 2011 while Metro-North repaired it at a cost of $213,000.

The North 14th Avenue Bridge, also built in 1894, spans 94 feet in length and also carries one lane of traffic in each direction. It was closed for two months in the summer of 2012 while Metro-North repaired it at a cost of $350,000.

In Mount Vernon, the four Metro-North tracks are below street level in a “cut” that is spanned by 11 closely spaced bridges. Under agreements inherited from predecessor railroads, these bridges are the responsibility of Metro-North to maintain with the City also sharing responsibility for certain bridges. The bridges include the station pedestrian overpass, which was replaced in 2000, and the Park Avenue Bridge, which Metro-North rebuilt three years ago at a cost of $10.5 million.