OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen The Willow Road bridge in the town of Dunkirk is being replaced much slower than some residents had hoped.

Several residents of the town of Dunkirk have been displeased with the lack of progress being made on repairing the bridge over Willow Road. Town of Dunkirk Highway Superintendent Jeff Feinen recently spoke with representatives from Chautauqua County on the matter and provided an update at the latest Town Board meeting.

Feinen stated there has been a shortage of concrete suppliers and drivers due to the major bridge project over Chautauqua Lake. Feinen stated, “Most of the trucks are getting sucked up over there.”

Drivers that pour concrete are not only limited in supply, but also limited in the amount of hours they are permitted to work. To optimize time, workers pour concrete at a site, then move onto another site while the concrete settles before returning later to finish the project.

“There’s only so many concrete drivers that these plants can count on,” Feinen said. “… By the time it’s time to come and haul to the town of Dunkirk, they don’t have enough drivers to facilitate all their orders.”

Feinen said he believes the delay to the Willow Road bridge will not last much longer. He did not have an update on the status of the upcoming bridge improvement project over Canadaway Creek along Route 5.

Also of note, a vacancy was recently created in the Town of Dunkirk Highway Department following the resignation of a Motor Equipment Operator.

Town of Dunkirk Supervisor Priscilla Penfold also urged residents to be mindful of their neighbors when it comes to discarding brush. She noted that there have been issues recently regarding brush and private property in the town.