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Four-county region slated to receive much-needed boost in state funding for ailing bridges
By MIKE SCHREIBER
Era Associate Editor
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Era photo by Francie Long
Work continues on the Forman Street bridge along the U.S. Route 219 Bradford bypass. On Monday, state officials announced the four-county region is slated to receive a much-needed boost in state funding for ailing bridges as part of an additional $350 million investment to repair 411 structurally deficient bridges statewide. Some of the bridges listed in a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Education are those currently undergoing rehabilitation as part of the Bradford bypass project. |
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The four-county region is slated to receive a much-needed boost in state funding for ailing bridges.
On Monday, Gov. Ed Rendell signed legislation authorizing the state to invest an additional $350 million to aid in the repair of 411 structurally deficient bridges statewide.
McKean County and the surrounding area stand to gain from the funding, however the exact amount was not immediately available as of Monday night.
“At a time when this region, the state and the nation are facing very tough economic conditions, Rebuild Pennsylvania will inject much needed stimulus into Pennsylvania’s aging transportation infrastructure,” Rendell said. “This is a step in the right direction in repairing Pennsylvania’s structurally deficient bridges and, although we still have a lot of work ahead of us, these additional dollars will help the Commonwealth restore and replace vital transportation links.”
Under the program, a combination of federal and state funds — including $350 million in bond funds — will underwrite bridge projects that will be included in the state Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The combined funding will allow the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to start repairs on the bridges this year.
The majority of bridges listed in a Rebuild Pennsylvania report issued by PennDOT are currently undergoing rehabilitation on the U.S. Route 219 Bradford bypass as part of a wider $55 million rehabilitation project of the highway through the Tuna Valley.
All told, there are 19 bridges listed in the report that will either require a complete replacement, rehabilitation or preservation. A structurally deficient bridge is safe, but in need of costly repairs or replacement to bring it to current standards.
“We have significant needs as far as replacing bridges in our area,” state Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, said. “Some time ago, there was a study that said McKean and Potter counties had some of the worst bridges in the state. It’s so important for us to move forward with getting these bridges replaced.”
According to McKean County Planning Director Debbie Lunden, who is also a member of the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission’s Rural Transportation Planning Committee, the big ticket items — the Bradford and Johnsonburg bypass projects — have been taking up a majority of the transportation funding in the region for the past six years.
“Once we get those completed, that should free up a lot more funding for the other problem bridges in the area,” Lunden said, adding the committee has been focusing on the bridge problem for a number of years. “We knew we had a problem in this area quite a few years ago.”
Last August, PennDOT issued a report indicating that bridges across the four-county region fell into the “middle of the pack” for safety when compared to others statewide. According to that report, a majority of the bridges across McKean, Potter, Cameron and Elk counties have a sufficiency rating of above 50 percent, however a handful scored as low as the single digits.
All told, there were 301 structurally deficient bridges in the region.
“This is a long-term investment in our infrastructure,” Causer said, adding Rebuild Pennsylvania is a bonding program. “While it concerns me to borrow money, we absolutely must fix these bridges and if we have to borrow money to do it, that’s what we have to do.”
On Friday, the Legislature approved the state’s $28.3 billion budget, and in the process signed off on millions in bond issues to help fix the state’s ailing infrastructure, including for roads and bridges and municipal water and sewer projects. However, a decline in the amount of revenue coming into the state caused lawmakers to use more than $500 million in one-time sources to fill in the gap.
The state is also grappling with the infrastructure problem during a time of high energy prices; most of the material used in road and bridge improvement projects stems directly from oil and gasoline.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if the high price of material has pushed some projects back that are in need of funding,” Causer said. “As a prime example, the two bridge projects in Port Allegany were pushed back for eight to 10 years and are just now being done. Bridge projects across the Commonwealth have been pushed back and pushed back and now is the time to get them done.”
According to Lunden, locally owned bridges should also be a major focus during transportation discussions in the coming years.
“The need is so much greater than the money available, even with the bond issue,” Lunden said. “While it’s good news that we’ll be receiving some funding, we need a lot more money. I know the state wants to focus on state owned structures first, but we’re also concerned about the locally owned bridges which are not in good shape either. We also need more money for local bridges.”
As it stands, a PennDOT study released last September indicated there are a total of 74 locally owned bridges in the four-county region that are structurally deficient. Of that total, 42 are located in McKean County.
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