At its meeting on Monday, April 13, the Dutchess County Legislature voted unanimously to begin eminent domain proceedings against a property in the Town of Milan for use in the replacement of the M-20 bridge over Little Wappinger Creek, which due to rusted support beams has been limited to one lane for two years.
The action authorizes the county to acquire a temporary easement on 4,056 square feet — less than one-10th of an acre — at 789 Salisbury Turnpike. The property, which is owned by 789 Salisbury Turnpike LLC, spans roughly 60 acres. When contacted by the Herald, the property’s manager and resident, Zev Eisenberg, said he was surprised about the proceedings. He recalled receiving a letter from the county multiple months ago saying that the land was being assessed for use. He waited for further updates, but said an easement agreement never reached him. “It’s possible that there was just a piece of mail that we missed,” said Eisenberg. “We’re very happy to offer up our property.”
The resolution passed Monday notes that “negotiations with the property owners to acquire these properties have reached an impasse,” leaving condemnation, the legal process that exercises eminent domain, as the next step. Eisenberg said there was never any intent to hold up the work: “It’s a farm property with six homes; there’s a lot of mailboxes. It’s our bridge also, we cross it 10 times a day. We have no interest in a half-repaired bridge either.” Other property owners in the vicinity of the bridge have signed easements.
Eminent domain allows a government body to take private property for public use, provided that just compensation is offered to the landowner. In this case, the county proposed paying $625 for the temporary use of the land.
Rusted support beams on one side of the M-20 bridge have been an issue since March 2024. “We’ve pushed traffic to the safer side of the bridge,” said Dutchess County Public Works Commissioner Robert Balkind at a county committee meeting on April 9. “You can only do that for so long and eventually the other beam starts to deteriorate and you have to replace the bridge.” Balkind estimated the cost at $2 million. In an email to the Herald, he said bidding on the project could begin in late 2026, with construction kicking off in 2027.
Milan’s Highway Department will have only a small role in replacing the bridge, which is maintained by the county. “The town’s involvement, if any, would be limited to incidental work such as planning a detour route, or offering a location to stockpile spoils,” said Highway Superintendent Glenn Butler.
During the April 9 meeting, Balkind noted that the M-20 replacement would be part of the proposed Dutchess County 2026 Capital Road and Bridge Improvement Program, which seeks a $10.36 million bond resolution. Balkind also hopes to secure approximately $6 million in supplemental funding through state aid programs such as CHIPS and PaveNY. The county proposes to repair four bridges and seven culverts, as well as implement paving and drainage improvements.