Byram River
The harbor
Location
CountryUnited States
StateConnecticut, New York
CountyWestchester County, Fairfield County
Physical characteristics
SourceByram Lake
 • locationNorth Castle, New York
 • coordinates41°09′19″N 73°41′33″W / 41.1554°N 73.6925°W / 41.1554; -73.6925
 • elevation750 feet (230 m)
MouthPort Chester Harbor
 • location
Port Chester, New York, Greenwich, Connecticut
 • coordinates
40°59′18″N 73°39′37″W / 40.9884°N 73.6604°W / 40.9884; -73.6604
 • elevation
0 feet (0 m)
Length13.9 miles (22.4 km)
Basin size29 square miles (75 km2)
Postcard from 1906

The Byram River is a 13.9-mile (22.4 km) long river[1] spanning southeast New York state and southwestern Connecticut in the United States. It has a 29-square-mile (75 km2) drainage basin.[2]

The river's headwaters are at Byram Lake in Westchester County, New York, at an elevation of 750 feet (230 m), and flow southward, crossing the New York-Connecticut border and eventually flowing into Long Island Sound at Port Chester Harbor. The lower portion of the river is paralleled by the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut and eventually forms the southernmost portion of the New York-Connecticut border.

Several bridges cross the river, as well as several dams controlled by the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut.[2]

History

The Byram River was once a center of economic activity where shipbuilding and fishing were major industries. The Byram section of Greenwich lies at its southern end.

On April 15, 2007, a nor'easter flooded areas near the river on both the Connecticut and New York sides. In July 2007, Greenwich town officials gave initial approval for spending $250,000 to study drainage improvement in flood-prone areas near the river, including the idea of dredging the river.[2]

Bridgework

As of the summer of 2007, three of these in northwest Greenwich had been identified by state inspectors as in critical need of repair, and all were scheduled for work:[3]

  • Bailiwick Road — already in poor shape, the bridge was further damaged by the nor'easter of April 15, 2007. In May emergency repairs were made. A redesign of the bridge may be needed to better protect against future flooding, town officials said.[3]
  • Riversville Road — Greenwich officials imposed weight restrictions on the bridge which were in effect in the summer of 2007. Dump trucks are prohibited from using it, but 10-ton box trucks and 15-ton semis are allowed.[3]
  • Sherwood Avenue — Greenwich officials imposed weight restrictions on the bridge which were in effect in the summer of 2007. Only 15-ton box trucks and 26-ton semis are allowed.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed April 1, 2011
  2. 1 2 3 Vigdor, Neil, "Car dealership: Greenwich should pay flood bills: Town officials reviewing claim concerning damage from nor'easter", article in The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, August 7, 2007, p A3, Stamford edition, the article likely also appeared the same day in the Greenwich Time newspaper, owned by the same company
  3. 1 2 3 4 Nguyen, Hoa, "Greenwich plans repairs on three bridges that cross the Byram River", article in The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, August 7, 2007, page A6; the article probably appeared the same day in the Greenwich Time, a newspaper owned by the same company
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.