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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Dan Surra |
  
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Surra gets Wilcox bridge project on fast track
HARRISBURG, July 29 – State Rep. Dan Surra said today that the state Department of Transportation will invite bids as early as next week for work to address current weight restrictions on the state Route 1006 bridge in Wilcox.
Surra said immediate work on the bridge is critical for ensuring public safety in the township. The action by PennDOT comes after Surra worked with the agency, the governor's office and local township and school officials to get the scheduled bridge work moved ahead by more than two years.
Preliminary engineering work on the steel truss bridge, which crosses the West Branch of the Clarion River in Wilcox, is being done now, and the bridge is on PennDOT's schedule to be replaced in 2012. However, PennDOT had to post a 5-ton weight restriction on the bridge in May, which has made the bridge inaccessible to emergency vehicles, school buses and other large trucks.
"Immediate work to address the weight restriction on this bridge is especially critical for emergency situations," Surra said. "While smaller school buses and some other commercial vehicles can travel under a railroad overpass on the road that is being used to detour larger vehicles around the bridge, fire trucks cannot. That presents a huge public safety issue for a number of Jones Township residents and property owners."
In response to Surra's request to have the timetable for the project moved forward, PennDOT sought an emergency declaration, which has been approved, that will allow PennDOT to use an expedited bidding process to start work on the bridge in August. The work will involve the construction of a temporary bridge and roadway over the existing bridge structure. While the temporary roadway will be limited to one lane, large vehicles such as fire trucks will be able to travel on it.
Surra said engineering and design work for a permanent bridge structure will continue while the temporary roadway is in place.
"There are more than 800 state-owned bridges in Pennsylvania that are closed or weight-restricted due to structural deficiencies," Surra said. "With that crush of projects on the agenda, I am extremely grateful to the governor and regional PennDOT officials for their quick response to my request and the needs of Jones Township residents.
"This response truly amounts to 'light speed' in terms of a state project like this," he said. "However, the work is critical for getting this bridge opened up to fire trucks and other large vehicles and ensuring, in particular, that the safety needs of area residents are addressed."
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