State bridges are on replacement list

The state’s $2.4 billion transportation funding law will enable the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to use its Rapid Bridge Replacement Project on at least 200 more bridges than originally planned.

Among the 998 bridges eligible for replacement are eight in Luzerne County, seven in Lackawanna County and four in Wyoming County.

The project that will reconstruct at least 500 structurally deficient bridges of similar design across the state involves PennDOT reaching out to the private sector to submit statements of qualification.

Erin Waters, a PennDOT spokeswoman, said those interested in bidding must submit their statements of qualifications to the agency by Jan.31.

She said the estimates will be used to determine just how many bridges — and which ones — will be replaced through this initiative. The department will use a ranking system of the bridges on the list to determine which ones are most in need of replacement, Water said.

After qualifications are submitted and reviewed, PennDOT plans to invite qualified teams to submit proposals for the project in the spring. The department will make a best-value determination based on cost and technical approach in selecting a proposal, with the goal of beginning construction in 2015.

The selected team will manage the bridges’ design, construction and maintenance under one contract to streamline design and construction activities, a concept Gov. Tom Corbett praised in a recent editorial meeting with The Times Leader.

Cost savings are anticipated because the same basic design and construction standards can be used for multiple bridges. The selected team will also maintain the bridges for a yet-to-be-determined number of years.

In August, PennDOT announced new or increased weight restrictions on about 1,000 state and local bridges to extend the life of the structures, citing uncertainty over transportation funding. Nearly 4,500 out of 25,000 state-owned bridges are deemed to be structurally deficient, or in need of repair, more than any other state.

But a landmark transportation spending plan that passed the state Senate and House and was signed into law by the governor in late November will add billions to transportation funding over the next five years through higher gas taxes and driver fees.

In Luzerne County, bridges being considered for replacement are:

• A 355-foot steel span over Mill Creek along Route 11 in Dupont;

• A 21-foot concrete bridge over a tributary of Pine Creek along Route 239 in Huntington Township;

• A 30-foot concrete span over Gardner Creek in Laflin;

• A 22-foot steel span over Meadow Run along Suscon Road in Bear Creek Township;

• A 21-foot concrete span over Mill Creek in Bear Creek Township;

• A 63-foot prestressed box beam span over Henry Drive in Rice Township;

• A 24-foot prestressed box beam span over the South Branch of Newport Creek in Newport Township; and

• A 48-foot concrete structure over Nescopeck Creek in Butler Township.

Lackawanna County

• A 1,067-foot steel girder bridge along I-84 eastbound over Route 435 in Roaring Brook Township;

• A 1,073-foot steel girder span along I-84 westbound over Route 435 in Roaring Brook Township;

• A 27-foot concrete span along I-81 in Scott Township;

• A 102-foot concrete structure over railroad tracks in LaPlume Township;

• A 196-foot bridge carrying Green Ridge Street over the Lackawanna River in Scranton;

• A 254-foot prestressed I-beam bridge along Spruce Street in Scranton.

Wyoming County

• A 33-foot concrete structure along Route 87 over Miller Brook in North Branch Township;

• A 31-foot concrete span over Monroe Creek in Nicholson Township;

• A 59-foot concrete span over railroad tracks in Nicholson; and

• An 84-foot steel truss bridge along Vosburg Road in Washington Township.

Source: Times Leader