A bridge and its community; Skinners Falls Bridge closure would come with a cost

Posted 8/21/12

MILANVILLE, PA — When asked if the closure of the Skinners Falls Bridge affects business, Vanessa DeGori of the Milanville General Store answered with a resounding “Definitely.” The beloved …

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A bridge and its community; Skinners Falls Bridge closure would come with a cost

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MILANVILLE, PA — When asked if the closure of the Skinners Falls Bridge affects business, Vanessa DeGori of the Milanville General Store answered with a resounding “Definitely.” The beloved general store is the only business in the tiny town (or village) of Milanville on the shores of the Delaware River. The family-run store offers everything from gas and snacks to subs and pizzas, with friendly service where everyone knows your name. The historic store has been in business since 1850; the DeGori family has owned it since 1979.

The Skinners Falls Bridge opened in 1902 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is closed once again, after being closed only a few years ago, from 2012 to 2013, for repairs. This time, PennDOT says the bridge may be closed indefinitely. James May, a spokesman for the agency, said the main problem with the bridge is that it is 114 years old, and was built to handle horses and buggies, or early cars, and not the heavy vehicles that cross it nowadays. Specifically, he said there are stringers under the bridge that are warped and twisted.

Detour signs have been placed around the area, and travelers on the Pennsylvania side have to take River Road, and go to either the Cochecton-Damascus Bridge or the Narrowsburg Bridge, which is also under repair and only a single lane open. The detours bypass businesses such as the Milanville General Store. “People would pass through, and now you don’t see them,” DeGori said. Although the winter season can be slow, she said she has still noticed a difference in the amount of business. The summer commerce is what they rely on, and DeGori said if the bridge remains closed (which seems likely), “It will kill us.” She said many summer tourists would pick up sandwiches and pizza before heading to the river at Skinners Falls, and now that would not be an option.

Rick Lander of Lander’s River Trips, which has a location at Skinners Falls (Cochecton, NY), says it’s a safety hazard for them, because if someone needs to be rescued from the river, emergency responders may need to respond from the Pennsylvania side and would not be able to cross. He said he is talking to DOT and hopes they can open the bridge to emergency vehicles, as well as pedestrians and bicycles. The Lander family business offers camping, boating and tubing trips, and has been open since 1955.

“It’s hurting us,” said Lou Lothian of Lou’s Tubes and The Lothian House at Skinners Falls. She and her husband Bill share the sentiments that the bridge should at least be opened to small traffic. They say they frequently look at the traffic that crosses the bridge, and it is a lot of large vehicles, like dump trucks. They suggest that PennDOT put up a bar, known as a “giraffe catcher,” to prevent that kind of vehicle from crossing.

The Pond Eddy Bridge is also under repair, and there is a $13.3 million plan to replace it. That bridge serves a small number of residences on the Pennsylvania side. Lander said it “seems poor” that PennDOT is replacing that bridge instead of the Skinners Falls or Narrowsburg bridges, and that they should get their “priorities straight.”

The DeGoris have started a petition for the repair and re-open of the Skinners Falls Bridge; it is available at the store and online. So far they have gathered about 800 signatures. They are also talking to the Wayne County Commissioners to get some answers about what can be done.

Lou pointed out that these businesses survive almost entirely from the summer season, and that the window of opportunity is a short one. “This is going to impact everyone here,” she said. Campers, tubers and boaters flock to Skinners Falls during the summer months in large numbers. Lou says PennDOT isn’t in the area and doesn’t see what’s going on. “They don’t understand what they’re closing and the impact it will have,” she said.

“It’s an inconvenience for everybody,” DeGori said. She noted that many people are driving on River Road, which is a small road that can’t handle an increase in traffic. A resident of River Road said she hasn’t noticed more traffic, but that will surely change in the summer season.

Area resident Jaquel Theis said, “I’m indigenous; this bridge has carried my family since it was built. It carries prosperity to Pennsylvania from New York. All that work they did in the past years was money wasted if they do not continue.”

Lander says the closure of the bridge doesn’t necessarily harm his business, as many customers come from Route 97; however the Narrowsburg Bridge is of concern. “They need to put some effort and emergency money into fixing these river bridges,” he said.

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