Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge over the Susquehanna River
Times Leader file photo
Luzerne County issued a notice for Modjeski and Masters Inc. to proceed with the preliminary design phase of the Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge project, a news release said.
County Council unanimously approved a formal agreement with the Mechanicsburg company in February to perform engineering and design for the county-owned Susquehanna River crossing.
County Manager Romilda Crocamo closed the bridge a year ago after engineers performing an inspection found further deterioration and section loss of primary, load-carrying components.
The contract with Modjeski and Masters is capped at $1 million and specifies the following work schedule to be completed within two years: four months for a purpose-and-need assessment, a year for historic bridge rehabilitation analysis, and eight months for alternative analysis.
In addition to $10 million in federal funding allocated through the state for this project, the county has access to a $55 million casino gambling fund established for county infrastructure. Because federal funding is involved, the engineer must first develop three options for the bridge, officials said.
“This is the first step in a meticulous process that will determine how, or if, the county should move forward with this project,” Crocamo said in the release.
“We want to do what is best for the drivers who use that bridge, the residents nearby, and for businesses who rely on the bridge to move their product. This process will take some time, and patience is needed on everyone’s part,” Crocamo said.
Modjeski and Masters Vice President Christopher Smith was quoted in the release saying the company is “honored to partner with Luzerne County to develop a safe, reliable, and long-lasting bridge solution that supports improved safety and economic growth in the Nanticoke and West Nanticoke communities.”
Several factors will be considered in the preliminary design, including the purpose and need for the bridge, traffic demands, wetland and water impacts, environmental concerns, threatened and endangered species, archaeological impacts, and utility work, the release said.
Because the existing bridge is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, a historical analysis of the structure must be prepared, it said.
Public involvement is also required in the process. Residents will be invited to two public hearings to hear details of the bridge project, with dates and locations not yet set.
The release notes that local and state officials support the bridge project.
Totaling 2,072 feet, the bridge connects Nanticoke and the West Nanticoke section of Plymouth Township. The crossing was constructed in 1914 and last rehabilitated in 1987. Since the closure, the alternate route is the Route 29/South Cross Valley Expressway crossing, officially called the John S. Fine Bridge.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.
