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Work to Begin Soon on Crescent Avenue and East High Street Spans Over I-87 

MALTA – Local officials are making preparations for several months of detours around the Crescent Avenue and East High Street bridges over the Adirondack Northway, which have been scheduled for closures in early April due to an apparent need for upgrades.  

Saratoga County Emergency Services Director Carl Zeilman confirmed this week that state Department of Transportation (DOT) officials had convened a recent meeting to discuss the pending bridge closures with county fire and emergency personnel.

Both infrastructure projects will be completed entirely by state DOT contractors.

The related information, Zeilman said, “has already been circulated” countywide among 911 dispatchers and other emergency workers.

All of the county’s 911 dispatchers operate out of the Primary Public Safety Answering Point (or PSAP) at the Saratoga County jail complex, according to Zeilman.  

“It’s a team effort when we do this,” he added. “It really does work smoothly.”   

During a brief presentation Monday night, Malta Deputy Supervisor Darren O’Connor indicated that the East High Street bridge—situated within Malta’s town borders—would be closed to traffic from Monday, April 2 through Labor Day in September.

Motorists commonly use that span as a shortcut between Route 9 and the Village of Ballston Spa.  

O’Connor said he is “not entirely clear on the time frame” for the bridge closure on Crescent Avenue, which connects Route 9 motorists with the Saratoga Casino Hotel area and lakeside residential neighborhoods in the City of Saratoga Springs.

“We’ll just have to handle it the best we can. We’ll adapt,” offered Police Department Lt. Robert Jillson, when contacted for comment. “Our hand is forced.”

If the bridge closure continues through track season, Jillson added, officers could still direct travelers down the Crescent Avenue exit ramp to connect with the Northway’s southbound lanes.

Bryan Viggiani, a DOT spokesman, indicated this week that he is preparing formal public announcements regarding the Saratoga County bridge closures. He declined to provide further details.