One year ago Newswatch 16 took an in-depth look at the 16 worst bridges across northeastern and central Pennsylvania.
The rankings were based on PennDOT ratings and on the amount of traffic on the bridges.
What is the status of those bridges one year later?
One of the bridges on our 16 worst list was the rusting Eighth Street Bridge over the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County.
It will soon be a thing of the past. A new, modern $20 million bridge is already well underway.
"The lanes will be a lot wider. It will be single lane in each direction with a sidewalk. Basically what we have now, but it will be much safer because you'll have sufficiently wider lanes," said PennDOT project engineer Paul Smith.
PennDOT rated the bridge a two on a scale of zero to 100, which means the structure is in bad shape but it's still safe to cross.
"I've lived here on the other side of the bridge all my life and it's been a nuisance. A lot of accidents on that bridge because it's very narrow and I think it's a long time coming and I can't wait for the new one to open up," said Ann Liddick of Harding.
The new Eighth Street Bridge is the only one on Newswatch 16's list of the 16 worst bridges that is actually under construction.
PennDOT said Pennsylvania has some of the oldest roads and bridges in the country and now it's time to upgrade.
"Currently, our infrastructure, on average, throughout the state is about 50 years old and that was the design life for our bridges that were built 50 years ago so we're at the point right now where we need to start either rehabbing or replacing our bridges," said PennDOT bridge engineer Harold Hill.
The bridge on North River Street, near the Cross Valley Expressway in Plains Township is also one of the worst 16 scheduled to be replaced.
More than 20,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily. It also gets a two rating out of 100 from PennDOT. Construction should begin early next year.
In the Poconos PennDOT said 18,000 vehicles use the bridge on Route 611 in Bartonsville every day. It got a 21 rating last year. It's now a five. PennDOT plans to replace the bridge in late 2012.
One bridge on the list in Carbon County was literally crumbling. The Thomas J. McCall Bridge connects Weissport and Lehighton. It's more than 70 years old.
Emergency bridge repairs back in September upped the bridge's rating from 29 to 35. It could be four years before PennDOT starts to repair or replace it.
"I believe we need upgrades desperately," said Milt Evans of Carbondale.
As for the other bridges on our list, PennDOT said work won't start on any of those in the northern tier until at least 2012.
In central Pennsylvania work should be underway next year on a Route 477 Bridge in Clinton County and on the Paxton Street Bridge in Snyder County. It will be 2012 before work starts to replace a bridge near Pennsdale in Lycoming County.
The time frame for work on the Lonesome Road Bridge in Old Forge and the Harrison Avenue Bridge in Scranton is also 2012.
In the Poconos work could start in 2011 and 2012 on two bridges and in Schuylkill County no major work is planned for a Route 443 bridge, but construction is set for 2011 on a Route 895 Bridge.
"It's a good thing to know that once they're done, hopefully it won't be needed again if it's done correctly," said Terri Coyer of Dunmore.
Back to the only construction project underway to fix one of our 16 worst bridges, PennDOT said new bridges like the one on Eighth Street are now being built to last 100 years so it should be the next century before that new bridge makes any worst list.
The rankings were based on PennDOT ratings and on the amount of traffic on the bridges.
One of the bridges on our 16 worst list was the rusting Eighth Street Bridge over the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County.
It will soon be a thing of the past. A new, modern $20 million bridge is already well underway.
"The lanes will be a lot wider. It will be single lane in each direction with a sidewalk. Basically what we have now, but it will be much safer because you'll have sufficiently wider lanes," said PennDOT project engineer Paul Smith.
PennDOT rated the bridge a two on a scale of zero to 100, which means the structure is in bad shape but it's still safe to cross.
"I've lived here on the other side of the bridge all my life and it's been a nuisance. A lot of accidents on that bridge because it's very narrow and I think it's a long time coming and I can't wait for the new one to open up," said Ann Liddick of Harding.
The new Eighth Street Bridge is the only one on Newswatch 16's list of the 16 worst bridges that is actually under construction.
PennDOT said Pennsylvania has some of the oldest roads and bridges in the country and now it's time to upgrade.
"Currently, our infrastructure, on average, throughout the state is about 50 years old and that was the design life for our bridges that were built 50 years ago so we're at the point right now where we need to start either rehabbing or replacing our bridges," said PennDOT bridge engineer Harold Hill.
The bridge on North River Street, near the Cross Valley Expressway in Plains Township is also one of the worst 16 scheduled to be replaced.
More than 20,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily. It also gets a two rating out of 100 from PennDOT. Construction should begin early next year.
In the Poconos PennDOT said 18,000 vehicles use the bridge on Route 611 in Bartonsville every day. It got a 21 rating last year. It's now a five. PennDOT plans to replace the bridge in late 2012.
One bridge on the list in Carbon County was literally crumbling. The Thomas J. McCall Bridge connects Weissport and Lehighton. It's more than 70 years old.
Emergency bridge repairs back in September upped the bridge's rating from 29 to 35. It could be four years before PennDOT starts to repair or replace it.
"I believe we need upgrades desperately," said Milt Evans of Carbondale.
As for the other bridges on our list, PennDOT said work won't start on any of those in the northern tier until at least 2012.
In central Pennsylvania work should be underway next year on a Route 477 Bridge in Clinton County and on the Paxton Street Bridge in Snyder County. It will be 2012 before work starts to replace a bridge near Pennsdale in Lycoming County.
The time frame for work on the Lonesome Road Bridge in Old Forge and the Harrison Avenue Bridge in Scranton is also 2012.
In the Poconos work could start in 2011 and 2012 on two bridges and in Schuylkill County no major work is planned for a Route 443 bridge, but construction is set for 2011 on a Route 895 Bridge.
"It's a good thing to know that once they're done, hopefully it won't be needed again if it's done correctly," said Terri Coyer of Dunmore.
Back to the only construction project underway to fix one of our 16 worst bridges, PennDOT said new bridges like the one on Eighth Street are now being built to last 100 years so it should be the next century before that new bridge makes any worst list.
