One of the oldest bridges in Bradford Township has succumbed to the sands of time –– the East Warren Bridge.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation called township officials early last week and told them they had to close the bridge — or else PennDOT would close it.
On Sunday at the bridge site, Bradford Township Chairman of Supervisors Jim Erwin said the old bridge has finally given in to the test of time.
“The beams are bad and underneath the abutments are just about gone,” Erwin told The Era, explaining that he believes the bridge is an older one due to it being riveted instead of welded.
What does this mean for emergency vehicles? That’s just one of many tough questions revolving around this circumstance as Erwin fears the bridge closure is going to hinder the efforts of first responders.
“I think it’s going to have a major impact on emergency vehicles. We’ve got six firemen that live on High Street and they come through here to get to the fire hall,” he explained.
Erwin said the estimated cost for the bridge replacement is $1.5 million. However, despite the six-figure price tag, taxpayers are not doomed to breaking out the checkbook just yet, as the township is working hard for every grant it is eligible for to avoid raising taxes at all costs.
“I sure hope not to increase any taxes. We got Act 13 money, which is money from the state for deep wells. We took that Act 13 money and we put it into a fund to repair bridges,” Erwin explained. “So the last three bridges on Fuller Road, Langmaid Lane and Sleepy Hollow we did without borrowing any money.”
Erwin noted there will likely be residents unhappy with the bridge closure at the next supervisors meeting but said, “It’s better to have unhappy people than injured people.”
He explained that the bridge repair process is not a particularly quick one, as it could take a year to get grant money and would take about 10 months to get the appropriate permits from the state through the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to do any work in the stream.
The township had applied for a grant for bridge repair already but was turned down in the first phase. However, Erwin said the township is going to stick with trying to get the same grant.
“I hate to see any bridge close, and this is the second one we’ve had to close,” Erwin said. “(Clarks Lane) is a double span and it’s the longest bridge in the township, so it’s going to be awhile before we do anything with that one.”
For the township, replacing the East Warren Bridge is the highest priority on the repair list. As for the bridge on Browntown Road, also deteriorating, Erwin said, “I think the Browntown Road bridge will be derated in the near future, probably down to seven, five or three tons.”
