The Citizen staff report

A bridge with a troubled past in the town of Mentz was closed Saturday to all vehicles after the state Department of Transportation inspected the span and decided it was unsafe to use.

The Haiti Road Bridge connects Haiti Island with Haiti Road. About 60 people who live on the island will be allowed to walk across the bridge to get to and from their homes, but all vehicles presently on the island are marooned until further notice.

State Police in Wolcott said they were notified by Cayuga County emergency services at 1:40 a.m. Saturday that the DOT had deemed that the bridge had deteriorated to the point where it is no longer safe to use. Police said town of Mentz officials were checking out the bridge Saturday afternoon, trying to determine what should be done next.

Haiti Island formed in the early 1900s when the state dredged the Seneca River to extend the Erie Canal System.

After a snowplow crashed through the bridge and into the river the ownership of the bridge was brought into question. It was later determined that Mentz owned 95 percent of the bridge and Conquest 5 percent.

Wooden planks were later built on top of the old metal bridge, but that portion of the bridge has also fallen into a state of disrepair.

Police said that late Friday night or early Saturday morning, part of the old metal structure partially collapsed, causing the wooden overlay to become unsafe.

The bridge, which parallels Route 38 just east of the Howland Island State Wildlife Management Area, most recently had a speed limit of 5 mph.