Bridge commission focuses on two bridges

By TOM KANE

DUNMORE, PA — It’s still not clear whether the Pond Eddy Bridge will be replaced or restored. Bids on the construction of the Shohola-Barryville Bridge will go out to construction companies at the end of October. Two years of construction will begin next spring.

These were among the conclusions of the New York-Pennsylvania Joint Interstate Bridge Commission at its annual meeting on Thursday, June 11.

A group of citizens calling themselves the Friends of the Pond Eddy Bridge are pressing to preserve the historic bridge with a full restoration rather than a demolition.

The old bridge, which was built in 1904, is one of two surviving pin-connected Petit Truss bridges remaining on the Upper Delaware River. It is enrolled on both the National Historic Registry and the New York State Historic Registry.

The bridge serves 26 dwellings on the Pennsylvania side that are landlocked without the bridge.

“We are going to hold a meeting about the Pond Eddy Bridge within the next six months among all the agencies in both states, historic groups and other interested groups to determine which way we will go,” said Robert Doble, assistant engineer for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 4-0.

“Even if the bridge is reconstructed, it will not be able to handle any vehicles over 13 tons,” Doble said.

As it is now, it cannot handle most fire emergency vehicles, nor can it handle construction vehicles like cement mixer trucks.

Doble did little to alleviate property owners’ uncertainty about the project.

One property owner, Earl Keller, asked if it was still possible that properties on the Pennsylvania side would be bought out by the commission.

It’s possible, but not very likely, Doble said.

Another property owner, George Ollert, asked if it were wise to invest any further in his property.

“I’d be very cautious before spending a lot of money on your property,” Doble said.

If the bridge is replaced, it will cost from five to 7.5 million, he said.

The Shohola-Barryville Bridge construction will cost $9.24 million, an increase from the $7.7 million projected at last year’s meeting.

Some $2 million has already been spent since 1996 in pre-construction studies, including an extended archaeological dig on the Pennsylvania shore.

After patching two holes on the deck and removing deteriorated chunks of concrete from underneath the bridge since early May, the commission is hopeful that a new bridge will be built before any additional major repairs to the 62-year-old span are required.

The National Park Service (NPS) issued a warning to boaters just before Memorial Day weekend of the potential hazard from falling debris on the bridge’s river spans. NPS Upper Delaware Superintendent David Forney asked about the feasibility of installing netting underneath the bridge to catch any additional concrete pieces. PennDOT officials said netting prior to demolition would be very expensive and they are not currently considering it.

The successful contractor will be responsible for maintaining the bridge for vehicular use, while the new crossing is built slightly upstream of its present location.

The joint commission divides responsibility for the 10 bridges of the Upper Delaware River between the two states. Pennsylvania is responsible for bridges No. 1 to 5—Port Jervis to Skinner’s Falls; New York is responsible for bridges No. 6 to 10—the Cochecton-Damascus bridge to the Hancock bridge.

The Roebling Bridge is exempted, as it is federally maintained and is the responsibility of the NPS.