A proposed reopening of the Firefighters’ Memorial Bridge linking West Pittston and Pittston remains under review by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, officials said Tuesday.
Times Leader file photo
A proposed reopening of the Firefighters’ Memorial Bridge linking West Pittston and Pittston remains under review by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which has the final say, Luzerne County officials said Tuesday.
The county’s consultant, which concluded the county-owned span can safely reopen to traffic at a reduced weight limit, responded to additional questions from the state on Tuesday, according to an email update sent to county council members.
Commonly known as the Water Street Bridge, the crossing 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 by Williamsport-based Larson Design Group to determine if the county bridge can reopen at a reduced weight limit in the interim because completion of both spans will take seven years.
Based on inspections and data collected from load testing, Larson Design recommended allowing only passenger vehicles and no trucks.
Acting County Manager Brian Swetz said Tuesday he has not received an estimated state determination date but promised to promptly alert the public when a final decision is issued.
County Engineer Lawrence Plesh has said a PennDOT bridge reopening determination could take weeks or months.
A PennDOT spokesperson was researching whether a more specific time estimate could be provided.
Councilman Brian Thornton said Tuesday he views Larson Design’s recommendation and ongoing discussions between the consultant and state as a positive indicator.
“I’m thrilled that the pending reopening of the Water Street Bridge is on the near horizon,” Thornton said. “That will alleviate a lot of traffic off the Fort Jenkins Bridge and make everyone’s lives a lot easier. It’s going to be a godsend when that happens.”
Larson Design’s report is 260 pages and packed with charts documenting its analysis.
Load testing was performed using strain gages and a 36-ton dump truck test vehicle that traveled over the bridge multiple times in October, the report said.
”No apparent distress or unusual behavior of the bridge was observed during the testing and soon after the testing. However, many truss members were identified to have severe section loss and there is heavy corrosion at many panel points,” the report said.
If reopening is approved, further discussions will be needed with the county on the possible use of overhead “headache bars” to block truck traffic or other enforcement measures to ensure the weight limit is not neglected,” a Larson Design communication said. Public messaging also would be necessary, it said.
Documents have referenced the possibility of limits ranging from 3- to 6 tons. The weight limit was 20 tons before the bridge closed.
The average sports utility vehicle is about 3 tons, while fully loaded pick-up trucks are closer to 4 tons, Plesh has said.
Reopening the bridge 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.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.
