McKinley Avenue in Endicott to Be Closed for Walkway Demolition

A heavily-traveled street in Endicott may be shut down for up to three weeks while a crumbling pedestrian bridge at the former IBM complex is removed.

The owner of the old manufacturing site - Phoenix Endicott Industrial Investors - is preparing to remove a walkway over McKinley Avenue.

The deteriorating span has repeatedly been struck by too-tall trucks. Village officials for several years wanted the previous owners of what's been known as the Huron Campus to remove the bridge but they declined to act.

Endicott Mayor Linda Jackson told WNBF News she's "sure everybody's excited to hear this is finally coming down."

Jackson said the former owners of the site "just threw up their hands and said 'We're walking away. We don't care what happens to the property.'" She said she's pleased the new owners are working to renovate the site and making preparations to demolish the old IBM buildings east of McKinley Avenue that have been vacant for several years.

Phoenix representatives have told village officials their plan is to install temporary enclosures on the existing buildings once the pedestrian walkway has been torn down.

Phoenix also is preparing to repair a crumbling façade on a six-story building at the corner of Oak Hill Avenue and Clark Street.

NYSEG is expected to remove a transformer located next to the structure to facilitate the necessary work.

A section of Oak Hill Avenue will be closed to traffic while the repair project is underway.

Jackson said Phoenix will be using separate crews for the two projects. The schedule of the work has not been finalized but she said it should get underway soon.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.