Potential reopening of the Pittston/West Pittston Bridge still under consideration

The proposed reopening of the Firefighters Memorial Bridge, connecting West Pittston and Pittston, remains under review by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which has the final say, Lucerne County officials said Tuesday.

The county counselor, who concluded the county-owned span can safely open to traffic with a reduced weight limit, answered additional questions from the state on Tuesday, according to an email update sent to county council members.

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.

Council members approved an inspection by Williamsport-based Larson Design Group to determine if the circumferential bridge could temporarily open with a reduced weight limit as both spans would take seven years to complete.

Based on inspections and data collected from load testing, Larson Design recommended that only cars should be allowed, not trucks.

Acting County Manager Brian Swetz said Tuesday that he has not received an estimated statewide date but promised to immediately alert the public when a final decision is made.

Lawrence Plesh County Engineer said the decision to reopen the PennDOT bridge could take weeks or months.

A PennDOT representative was looking to see if a more accurate time estimate could be provided.

Board member Brian Thornton said Tuesday that he sees Larson Design’s recommendation and ongoing discussions between the consultant and the state as a positive sign.

“I am excited that the opening of the Water Street Bridge is just around the corner,” Thornton said. “This will reduce traffic congestion on the Fort Jenkins Bridge and make life a lot easier for everyone. When that happens, it will be a real find.”

The Larson Design report is 260 pages long and includes charts documenting its 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 members were found to have severe section loss and severe corrosion at many points in the panel,” the report says.

If the reopening is approved, further discussions will be required with the county about the possible use of overhead “headache bars” to block truck traffic or other enforcement measures to ensure that the weight limit is not neglected,” Larson Design said in a statement. Public messaging will also be required, the report said.

The documents mention the possibility of limiting from 3 to 6 tons. Prior to the closing of the bridge, the weight limit was 20 tons.

According to Plesh, the average SUV weighs around 3 tons, while fully loaded pickups are closer to 4 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, the consultant said.

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