DOT announces $3.9M to replace Widener Memorial Bridge

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez announced on Sunday that work to replace the James E. Widener Memorial Bridge in the town of Chili will begin Monday, April 29. The bridge carries State Route 386 over Black Creek. Private First Class Widener was a Chili resident and served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, where he went missing while fighting for this country. The bridge was dedicated in his honor in 2007.

PFC Widener was declared missing in action when his helicopter was shot down and crashed within the Quang Tri Province in South Vietnam on June 11, 1967. He was 18 years old.

The United States Department of Defense positively identified PFC Widener’s remains nearly 40 years later, and he was returned home to the United States. He received a proper military burial and was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.

“Memorializing and honoring our nation’s veterans for their service and sacrifice in defense of our freedoms is a core value of our Governor and our agency,” Dominguez said. “Thanks to Governor Hochul’s leadership, we are able to provide the Chili community with a new structure that will provide continued connectivity for residents while ensuring we remember and honor James E. Widener’s commitment to our country, and the entire Widener family’s contributions to the Town of Chili.”

The project is slated for completion by the fall of 2024. New signage will be installed and the bridge will continue to be known as the James E. Widener Memorial Bridge.

“The existing truss bridge was built in 1931. It will be replaced with an integral abutment bridge that will eliminate the need for bridge joints, which will reduce future maintenance costs over the bridge’s 75-year service life, all the while maintaining connectivity for nearby residents and providing multi-modal enhancements along State Route 386,” officials with the DOT said. “Once complete, this project will also deliver 5-foot-wide shoulders to accommodate multi-modal traffic. Additionally, a wildlife bench will be installed beneath the structure to ensure animals can safely pass without needing to cross State Route 386.”

Widener Park can also be found one mile south of James’ namesake bridge. James has two surviving siblings: his brother Peter who lives in the town and serves as the Town Historian; his sister Julie, who also resides in the town. James’ two other siblings have since passed: Jay Widener Jr., who served in the United States Airforce; and Mark B. Widener, who served in the United States Army within the 101 ^st Airborne Division.

“Brother Jim’s youth and life were sacrificed for hundreds of community friends and Americans. His influence and inspiration to others have now been rewarded back to Jim. Dedications and memorials help us and our citizens remember who we are as Americans,” Peter Widener said. “My sister Julie and I thank all for their patriotic love and I say to my community, SEMPER FI, as I did when we buried Jim at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.”

Image courtesy of New York State Department of Transportation

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