Replacement of North French Road and County Road Bridges

The North French Road and County Road bridge replacements represent a strategic infrastructure investment along one of Erie County’s key east-west transportation corridors, connecting the Towns of Amherst and Clarence. Spanning scenic waterways, both aging structures had reached the end of their service life, prompting Erie County to engage CHA to deliver a coordinated bridge replacement strategy that would enhance public safety, improve long-term reliability, and strengthen corridor resilience.

Recognizing the corridor’s continuous alignment and similar site conditions, CHA packaged both bridge replacements under a single construction contract to maximize efficiency and value. Comparable topography, hydrology, and subsurface conditions supported a unified engineering approach that reduced redundant design effort, standardized structural systems, improved bid competitiveness, lowered project costs, and streamlined construction oversight under a single resident engineer.

Both replacement bridges feature prestressed concrete beam superstructures with warm-mix asphalt approaches, delivering durable, low-maintenance crossings designed for long-term performance. During construction, proactive collaboration between the contractor, utility providers, and project stakeholders led to a Value Engineering refinement that converted the North French Road bridge from staged construction to a single-stage operation. This revision eliminated the need for a deck closure pour, improved construction quality, and accelerated reopening by approximately two months.

These modernized crossings provide safer, more resilient transportation infrastructure that improves mobility, reduces future maintenance demands, and supports the continued connectivity and economic vitality of the Amherst-Clarence corridor for years to come.