Representatives of the Thousand Islands Land Trust want to complete renovations to the McCarn Creek bridge by the end of summer.
The trestle structure runs through TILTâs S. Gerald Ingerson Preserve in Clayton. The stone-foundation bridge, 160 feet long and 60 feet high, needs improvements to its girder bearings, wood support beams, decking and safety rails.
Seeing the bridge renovated has long been a goal of TILT. Completing this project would connect a portion of the Sissy Danforth Rivergate Trail.
But the $50,000 that TILT received from the state Conservation Partnership Program cover only one-third of the needed improvements. So representatives of the organization are looking to community residents to donate whatever they can to this endeavor.
CLAYTON â Nestled atop forested and grassy acres, the McCarn Creek bridge shows its age.
The 160-foot-long and 60-foot-high stone-foundation crossing runs through the S. Gerald Ingerson Preserve of the Thousand Islands Land Trust, and the rusting trestle framework and decaying wood ties will soon be revived.
The revival is a culmination of a yearslong effort to restore the inactive railroad bridge and reconnect a portion of the Sissy Danforth Rivergate Trail.
In the fall, TILT was awarded a $50,000 grant from the New York State Conservation Partnership Program to support the McCarn Creek bridge renovations, but state funding only covers roughly one-third of the total project cost. TILT is pushing for a June community fundraising deadline so renovations â including the rehab of girder bearings, wood support beams, decking and safety rails â can be completed by the end of the summer.