August 29, 2007
New York
New York
The start of construction on the Cohocton Wind and Dutch Hill windmill projects in northern Steuben County will be delayed several days while a study of road conditions in the area is completed.
The study was required by Steuben County before it would allow the heavy construction trucks involved in the windmill projects to use six county highways, said Vince Spagnoletti, public works commissioner.
“Six county roads have been identified that they are going to use to haul heavy loads to the windmill sites,” Spagnoletti said. “They have signed an agreement to do an engineering study that will show the existing condition of the roads before they put their heavy traffic on them.”
Canandaigua Power Partners II, the sponsor of the windmill projects, has already signed a cost-sharing agreement to bring the roads back to their original condition after the windmill projects are complete, Spagnoletti said.
“The study should take about two or three days,” Spagnoletti said. “It won’t lead to any long-term delay.”
The county posted a 10-ton weight limit on the roads involved to keep the heavy traffic off them until the engineering study is done, Spagnoletti said.
“It does not apply to local deliveries or farm tractors or milk trucks,” he said.
The county roads involved are Route 35 in Cohocton, Route 121 in Wayland and Cohocton, Route 36 in Wayland and Cohocton, Route 6 in Howard and Avoca, Route 105 in Avoca and Route 7 in Avoca, Wheeler and Prattsburgh.
Construction had been scheduled to begin Monday on the Dutch Hill projects, which involves 16 wind turbines. The Cohocton Wind project will include 35 turbines.
The two projects will occupy more than 7,000 acres of leased lands.
By Larry Wilson
Star-Gazette Corning Bureau
29 August 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/08/29/study-delays-wind-projects/