An inspection of the Firefighters’ Memorial Bridge linking West Pittston and Pittston may be completed to determine if the span can safely reopen to traffic in its current condition, possibly with a reduced weight limit, Luzerne County officials say.
Reopening the span would provide some congestion relief as bridge replacement plans are developed and completed, which would take seven years under the current schedule, county Councilman Brian Thornton said Monday.
“We can’t keep that bridge closed for seven years. It’s crushing economies on both sides of the river,” Thornton said, noting he also witnessed close calls with pedestrians in the area.
The inspection is on Tuesday’s county council work session for discussion, although Thornton said he plans to make a motion to move the matter to the voting agenda to avoid further inspection delay.
Commonly known as the Water Street Bridge, the county-owned span over the Susquehanna River has been closed since August 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.
Under an agreement approved by county council, the state will 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.
Thornton said it will take seven years to complete both bridges, and he does not believe the community and local businesses can endure the traffic jams and economic impact from having only one bridge for that length of time.
According to the agenda, the Water Street Bridge inspection would cost $300,000 and be covered by the county’s federal American Rescue Plan funding. Williamsport-based Larson Design Group would complete the inspection.
Thornton said this is significantly less than an up-to $750,000 inspection proposal that had been tabled by a council majority at the start of the year due largely to the cost and purpose. Councilman Kevin Lescavage had asked the administration to seek a second proposal, which resulted in a lower price and scaled back work, he said.
Inspection plan
The weight limit was 20 tons before the bridge closed, said county Interim Operational Services Division Head Lawrence Plesh.
After performing the inspection and load analysis, Larson Design could end up concluding the span can safely hold vehicles from 3 to 10 tons, he said.
“Or they could come back and say it’s really bad and should not be reopened at all,” Plesh added.
The average sports utility vehicle is about 3 tons, while fully loaded pick-up trucks are closer to 4 tons, he said. Tractor trailers and fire engines would not be permitted with a 4-ton limit, he said.
The Larson proposal will cost less than the one tabled earlier this year because it will focus largely on the “critical members” and “worst pins,” Plesh said.
Larson’s proposal describes the company’s extensive experience performing bridge inspections and the process it would use to evaluate the local span, according to the document posted under the work session agenda on the council page at luzernecounty.org,
Plesh said he would rely on the consultant’s recommendation.
“The liability falls on them,” he said.
If a reduced weight limit is recommended, the company would seek county clearance to submit a required form to the state transportation department seeking permission to reopen the bridge, with the final call up to the state, Plesh said.
Police in West Pittston and Pittston would be responsible for enforcing a new weight limit, Plesh said.
County Acting Manager Brian Swetz said he would want to ensure all policing and safety issues are addressed before any bridge reopening.
Thornton said bridge inspectors usually make conservative recommendations, and he would be thrilled even if cars are the only vehicles permitted.
“A light loading would take a lot of cars off the Fort Jenkins Bridge and alleviate a lot of dangerous situations,” Thornton said.
The county has no plans or funding to complete costly rehabilitation work on the Water Street span to make it temporarily operational, said Plesh and Thornton.
“We may have to just do some light clean-up because it hasn’t been used in almost a year,” said Thornton, a West Pittston resident.
Plesh and Thornton stressed the potential reopening of Water Street would not jeopardize or conflict with the bridge bundling agreement between the county and state.
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 holding a 20-ton limit, the consultant said.
Council’s Tuesday meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre, with instructions for remote attendance posted through council’s online meeting link at luzernecounty.org.