The Schoharie Reservoir

Infrastructure required for construction

Roads and bridges for public use

gilboa historical society spring 2016 v. 18.2 page

Schoharie Reservoir

Location of the project
Roads and Bridges for public use
Supplying construction materials
Stream control during construction
Shandaken Tunnel
Preparation of reservoir basin
Construction of the dam

Notes on the Schoharie Reservoir

In terms of New York City’s west-of-the-Hudson infrastructure, 

The reservoir is the second oldest in the system.

It is one of the smaller dams.

It also has one of the lowest storage capacities.

Its construction was the least rushed.

Its displacement of population was relatively small.

It’s simplicity makes it a model for understanding the technology of a major public work.

And yet, the Gilboa reservoir serves one of the largest watersheds and supplies about 15% of the city’s water needs.

Roads

Roads had to be in place to route civilian traffic around the construction site.

Other roads were needed to provide access for construction vehicles and materials.

Roads 1–5 were to the east of the creek. [Map of roads 1-5]

Road 1 was the civilian bypass road in the Town of Gilboa—from the new Schoharie Creek bridge to the Conesville Town Line.

Road 2 was a construction spur up Stevens Mountain to service a gravel quarry. 

Road 3 was the civilian bypass road in the Town of Conesville Road—from Road 1 at the Conesville Town line,  over the Manorkill Bridge, and ending at the Delaware County line.

Note: Today’s Route 990V was called Conesville Road. It started from the end of Road 1 and continued straight through West Conesville to Conesville.

Road 4 was the civilian bypass road in Delaware County. It took the traffic from Road 3  to the Greene County line.

Road 5 was the civilian bypass road in Greene County. It took the traffic from Road 4 to its terminus in Prattsville.

Roads 6–9 were to the west of the creek. [Map of roads 6-9]

Road 6 is today’s Intake Road, starting on Route 23 in Delaware County and going to the Schoharie County line.

Road 7 was the western civilian bypass road in the Town of Gilboa, taking traffic from Intake Road to Route 30 

Note: South Gilboa Road originally went straight straight across today’s Route 30, down into the village of Gilboa, and across the Schoharie Creek. The BWS made it into a Y.

Road 8 was the right fork travelling to the east and was used as a construction road to the dam site 

Road 9 was South Gilboa Road’s left fork, taking civilian traffic around the dam site to the new Schoharie Bridge.

New public roads: approx. 16.2 miles.

New construction access roads: approx. 8.5 miles.

Roads to tunnel shafts are not included here.

Mules furnished motive power, and portable gasoline-operated concrete mixers and stone crushers were in the mule trai.

Red arrow highlights the church which is just upstream from the future Gilboa dam.

Bridges

Manorkill Bridge

New Schoharie Bridge

Traffic had formerly travelled through the village, so a new bridge to be built downstream from the dam to carry civilian traffic over the Schoharie Creek around the construction site.

Two temporary bridges had to be construction:

Red is a footbridge that would carry men and mules from one side to the other.

Blue is a temporary bridge that would carry civilian traffic across while the final Schoharie Bridge was built.

The new bridge over the Schoharie Creek was operational in 1920.

Preparatory to that, two temporary construction bridges were created