Erie County Legislator Michael H. Ranzenhofer (R-Clarence) and Town of Clarence Supervisor Kathleen E. Hallock announced today that they will be seeking the assistance of all levels of government in order to repair the fallen section of road on Tonawanda Creek Road.

"We will be utilizing Town, County, State and Federal resources in order to implement a course of action regarding this section of Tonawanda Creek Road," said Ranzenhofer, who pointed out that a similar instance had occurred in 1991 approximately 1 ½ miles from the current collapse. "We are seeking the advice of the engineers from the Erie County Department of Public Works and the Clarence Highway Department on how to proceed."

"When you have as many highway miles as the Town of Clarence has, emergency situations are bound to arise," added Hallock. "We are working quickly to find the solution that will best meet the needs of both motorists and the residents who live along Tonawanda Creek Road."

Ranzenhofer and Hallock have visited the site of the collapse with Erie County and Town of Clarence highway officials and other emergency workers, and again visited the site, located at the northeast edge of the Town of Clarence, on Tuesday afternoon. The 150-foot section of the roadway fell over the June 25-27 weekend, though the exact cause of the collapse has not yet been determined.

"Our first priority is the safety of motorists traveling through Clarence," continued Ranzenhofer. "Supervisor Hallock and I will be working together to secure both expertise and funding for the repair and future improvements to Tonawanda Creek Road."

Both Ranzenhofer and Hallock pointed out that a detour is currently in place to navigate motorists around the dangerous stretch of highway. Drivers are advised to utilize Wolcott Road between Transit and Goodrich Roads to avoid the Tonawanda Creek Road collapse.