Department of State Transportation Rejects Pittston/West Pitstone Bridge Proposal


			
				                                
			
				                                
			
				                                
			
				                                The Firemen's Memorial Bridge is visible from the Pitstone side of the Susquehanna River.  Photo file

According to a recent report, the proposed reopening of the Firemen’s Memorial Bridge (Water Street), connecting West Pittston and Pittston, has not been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

“The closure of the Water Street Bridge is not the decision the county or the residents were looking for, but the final decision on this remains with PennDOT,” Acting County Superintendent Brian Swetz told the council in an email earlier this month.

The county’s consultant, Williamsport’s Larson Design Group, determined that the county-owned span could only safely open to traffic at reduced weights for passenger cars only.

The Susquehanna River Crossing, commonly known as the Water Street Bridge, has been closed since August 2021 due to concerns about a bent lug, causing traffic on the nearby State Spc. The Dale J. Cridlaw Bridge (Fort Jenkins) will increase from 12,000 vehicles to 20,000 per day.

The state has agreed to take responsibility for the design and construction of both bridges, which will likely replace the Water Street span and repair or replace the bridge at Fort Jenkins, both of which will retain their current footprints, officials said.

However, council members sought the temporary opening of the Water Street Bridge, as both spans would take seven years to complete.

Larson Design recommended a weight limit of 6 tons.

County Councilman Kevin Lescavage, who lives in West Pittston, said he asked for a meeting with state and county officials, including PennDOT, in early April to discuss what action is needed to reopen the bridge.

PennDOT County Executive Richard N. Roman sent a letter to the county last month outlining the agency’s concerns and recommendations regarding the county-owned site.

“While we understand that the county is proposing to reopen this bridge, we believe this course of action is unwise,” he wrote.

According to Roman’s letter:

The 2021 inspection that led to the bridge’s closure found that two of the four main load-bearing lugs in “span 5” were “deformed/bent/twisted” and noted that other load-bearing members in the same span were severely corroded with significant loss sections.

This 2021 inspection recommended that several maintenance work be completed before the bridge opens. The most critical was the repair/replacement of the “lower belt”. It lists four other high-priority targets that were identified during reviews, some of which were carried out several years ago.

Svets told the council that he “cannot explain why some of the past shortcomings in previous years have not been corrected.”

The county’s operational services division developed a plan for Larson Design to liaise with PennDOT and gather data so the division can generate “cost estimates and timelines for expected repairs,” Swetz said in an email.

The Larson Design report was 260 pages long and included charts documenting his analysis.

The report said load tests were carried out using load cells and a 36-ton dump truck test vehicle that drove over the bridge several times in October.

“During the tests and shortly after the tests, no obvious damage or unusual behavior of the bridge was observed. However, many of the truss elements were found to have severe section loss and severe corrosion at many points in the panel,” Larson said in the report.

The PennDOT letter highlights the consultant’s observation that repairs to the bridge decades ago appear to have altered the “behavior” of the original structure, as the repairs encased many of the undersides of the truss members in concrete curbs.

Denying re-opening at this time, the PennDOT letter cites several ongoing engineering issues and a lack of investigation into the eyecup heads.

“Given that the condition of the lug heads is unknown, and the fact that this analysis cannot measure voltage levels at these locations, it is risky to open this bridge to traffic,” the report says.

PennDOT also stated that it did not see “any consideration in the engineering report of the possibility of increased traffic on the structures.”

“Because one end of the bridge is at a traffic light, there will be normal stopped traffic on the bridge. There was no mention in our reading of the report of any potential impact this could have,” the post reads.

In addition, he cited enforcement issues, stating that constant surveillance “will prove difficult and a burden on local law enforcement.”

“Although it is known that large trucks (such as tractor-trailers and dump trucks) are clearly not allowed, some small passenger cars may not meet the 6-ton requirement,” the report said.

Prior to the closure of the Water Street Bridge, the average daily truck traffic was 5%, or about 400 trucks, according to the state.

“It has clearly been used by trucks and it is to be assumed that trucks will attempt to resume use,” the state said.

He also notes that the span is 1,016 feet, which is a “major asset” that should be considered a big risk.

In order for the county to put forward this proposal, PennDOT expects to receive an appropriate reopening plan that addresses all of the issues mentioned in its letter, the post said, asking for an opportunity to meet and discuss any reopening plan prepared by the county.

“The bridge cannot be reopened until PennDOT is satisfied that the engineering study has been completed and the reopening plan is adequate,” the letter said.

Lescavage said he has full confidence in Larson Design’s recommendations. As far as enforcement is concerned, he said this could be largely addressed with extensive warning signs and visible overhead “headache bars” that block trucks from entering.

A PennDOT spokesman said on Monday that the department had provided its recommendations.

“Next steps will be assessed by the county to determine if the bridge can be safely reopened,” the spokesman said.

The weight limit for the bridge prior to its closure was 20 tons.

The reopening of the bridge will not jeopardize or conflict with the county-state bridge agreement, county officials said.

Under this agreement, the county will pay only 5% of the cost of repairing or replacing the bridge, with the remainder coming from state and federal funds. Officials estimate that replacing both spans will require about $50 million, including river surveys, engineering, permitting, and demolition of existing bridges.

The Water Street span, built in 1914, was last repaired in 1984 and is not designed to handle today’s traffic, according to a state transportation consultant. The Water Street bridge will cost $20.5 million to replace and $22.5 million to repair to maintain the 20-tonne limit, according to a government consultant.

Contact Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or tweet @TLJenLearnAndes.

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