A bridge on an important snowmobile connector trail on the Perkins Clearing Conservation Easement Lands was replaced in time for the upcoming snowmobile season, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has announced.

The new bridge replaces the old, deteriorating Mossy Vly Snowmobile Bridge on the Carpenter Hill Trail which connects the Mud Lake Road and the Jessup River Road in the Town of Lake Pleasant, Hamilton County.

The Mossy Vly Brook snowmobile bridge provides a critical link between snowmobile trails on the conservation easement property. Historically, the bridge has been used as a bypass route around winter logging activities on the conservation easement property. Replacing the bridge eliminates the need for hazardous ice crossings by snowmobilers.

“Completion of the Mossy Vly Bridge is another of the many examples that demonstrates the continuing improvement in the relationship between Hamilton County municipalities and the Department of Environmental Conservation,” said Bill Farber, Chairman of the Hamilton County Board of Supervisors. “I want to express my sincere thanks to the Department for getting this important bridge completed in a timely manner.”

The new bridge is 60 feet long, 12 feet wide and was built with steel stringers set on abutments of timber cribbing by DEC Operations staff. The bridge is bigger, much sturdier and should have a longer life span than the previous bridge. DEC expedited the replacement of the bridge to ensure that a safe crossing was in place prior to this winter’s snowmobile season.

The previous bridge was 47 feet long, 11 feet wide and built with five 18-inch thick birch and spruce supporting stringers. The stringers were rotted and one had broken apart making the crossing unsafe.

The 40,000-acre Perkins Clearing/Speculator Tree Farm Conservation Easement Lands are located just north of the Village of Speculator and Route 8 in the towns of Arietta, Lake Pleasant and Wells in Hamilton County. The 14,332 acre Perkins Clearing Tract lies west of Route 30 and the 21,648 acre Speculator Tree Farm Tract lies east of Route 30.