Report: Pittston area bridge can reopen with reduced weight limit

An inspection initiated by Luzerne County Council has concluded the Firefighters’ Memorial Bridge linking West Pittston and Pittston can safely reopen to traffic at a reduced weight limit until a bridge replacement project commences in coming years, Council members Brian Thornton and Kevin Lescavage said Wednesday.

However, the council members said they were frustrated to learn the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation must now review the inspection findings and authorize a reopening of the bridge — a decision that is not expected to be issued until the end of January.

“I was hoping the bridge could be reopened for holiday traffic because it’s such a mess with all the congestion,” Thornton said.

Thornton said he was not informed of the additional state review step until he received an email about a week ago.

County Engineer Lawrence Plesh said Wednesday he has no control over the delay. When council authorized the inspection in June, he had said in a media report that a required form would have to be submitted to the state transportation department seeking permission to reopen the bridge based on inspection findings. He also had said the final call is up to the state and noted a PennDOT bridge reopening determination could take weeks or months.

Commonly known as the Water Street Bridge, the county-owned span over the Susquehanna River has been closed since August 2021 due to concerns over a bent eyebar, causing traffic on the nearby state-owned Spc. Dale J. Kridlo Bridge (Fort Jenkins) to increase from 12,000 vehicles to 20,000 per day.

The state agreed to assume responsibility for the design and construction of a solution for both bridges, which would likely be replacing the Water Street span and rehabilitating or replacing the Fort Jenkins one — both keeping their current footprints, officials said.

Council members approved the inspection to determine if the county bridge can reopen at a reduced weight limit because completion of both spans will take seven years. Thornton has said he does not believe the community and local businesses can endure the traffic jams and negative economic impact of having only one bridge for years and argued the current situation poses “grave danger and safety concerns.”

The weight limit on the Water Street Bridge was 20 tons before the span closed.

The county’s inspection contractor, Williamsport-based Larson Design Group, recommended a weight limit of 6 tons, Thornton said.

This downgraded limit would still allow safe passage by cars, vans and sports utility vehicles, Lescavage said.

The average sports utility vehicle is about 3 tons, while fully loaded pick-up trucks are closer to 4 tons, Plesh has said.

Thornton said he has confidence in the inspection and noted recommendations on weight limits are typically ultra conservative to err on the side of caution.

“It could probably handle more,” Thornton said, referring to a weight limit above six tons.

In the interim, Thornton said he is urging the administration to prepare for a reopening to avoid further delays if the state grants clearance. For example, he said the inspection report pointed out the need for minor repairs to a section of a sidewalk that could be addressed now. The county also must have the bridge swept and obtain signs posting the new weight limit, he said.

Municipal police also will be responsible for enforcing the new weight limit, Plesh has said.

The potential reopening of Water Street would not jeopardize or conflict with the bridge bundling agreement between the county and state, county officials have said.

Under this agreement, the county will only pay 5% toward the cost of refurbishing or replacing its bridge, with the rest coming from state and federal funding. An estimated $50 million would be needed to replace both spans, which includes river surveying, design, permitting and demolition of the current bridges, officials said.

Built in 1914, the Water Street span was last rehabilitated in 1984 and is not designed for today’s traffic loads, a state transportation consultant has said. It would cost $20.5 million to replace the Water Street bridge and $22.5 million to repair it to continue with a 20-ton limit, the consultant said.

Council funded the inspection with approximately $300,000 from the county’s federal American Rescue Plan receipts. Thornton reiterated Wednesday the cost was significantly less than the up-to $750,000 the administration had initially recommended because Lescavage had asked the administration to seek a second proposal, which resulted in a lower price and scaled-back work.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.