SALAMANCA — The Center Street Bridge over the Allegany River will remain open through April 1, Mayor Jeffrey Pond and the City Council were advised Thursday.

Last week, Urban Engineers of Buffalo found more deterioration in a section of the span and lowered the safe weight to 13 tons, instead of the previously posted 15 tons.

The bridge will be replaced next year and will interrupt traffic on Center Street (Route 353), a main entrance to the city. A shorter detour will be in effect with the recent completed replacement of the West State Street Bridge over Little Valley Creek.

Pond said the state Department of Transportation will open bids Dec. 3 for replacement of the Route 353 bridge.

During a brief meeting, the Council approved seeking bids for a new ambulance in the Fire Department. Currently three ambulances are in operation, two with more than 80,000 miles and the third with more than 90,000 miles — the latter of which will be replaced. Since the opening of the Seneca Allegany Casino, the number of medical calls has greatly escalated.

In an update on recent courtroom renovations, Pond said the first City Court session is scheduled for Nov. 20. The Council will hold its first meeting there Dec. 9.

The courtroom update is part of the state Unified Court System’s efforts to update courtrooms across the state.

The new facility — more than 4,000 square feet and costing about $1 million — includes new offices for a judge and clerks, two conference rooms, a jury room and a secure area to move prisoners from the city jail to the courtroom.

Also meeting as the Public Works Commission, Pond and the Council authorized signing of a certificate of completion for the courtroom work.

In other matters:

The Council learned from Ray Wilson, Public Works superintendent, that 61 sidewalk blocks remain to be replaced by Seneca Construction, weather permitting. Work is complete in Ward 4 and the crew is now moving to Ward 5.

The Council took no action on information from the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers about funding for replacing eroded riverbanks on Front Avenue, from the Center Street Bridge east to Fern Avenue. The work, estimated at $600,000, would require a 5 percent city share and 30 percent of in-kind services.

Pond made two appointments, naming Cory James to replace Irene Stark, who resigned, through Feb. 2012 on the Youth Board; and Joel Peters to replace John O’Rourke, who resigned, on the Industrial Development Agency board of directors. No term was stated for Peters.