Four bridges on the way to repair

By TOM KANE

HONESDALE, PA — The Wayne County Commissioners got a progress report on the plans to reconstruct four bridges that have been washed out or are functionally obsolete.

Two bridges—High Bridge in Damascus and Galloway Bridge in Lookout—were inundated during tropical storm Ivan, and have been unusable for over a year. Two others that are obsolete and deficient, but in use, are the Axe Factory Bridge on East Tryon Street in Honesdale, and the Kellams Bridge on the line between Manchester and Buckingham townships.

David Osborne and Michael Mecca from CECO Associates in Scranton, consulting engineers contracted by the county to prepare the designs of the bridges, spoke to the commissioners on December 6.

“Do we have to wait for the designs to be finished before bidding and reconstruction begins?” asked Wayne County Commissioner Chair Tony Herzog.

“Yes, our work is preliminary to bidding and construction,” Osborne said. “We estimate that the Galloway and the High bridges will be totally finished in 2006, and the Kellams and Axe Factory bridges will not see completion until the spring of 2007.”

“The county owns the bridges but is not responsible for maintaining the roads over them,” said commissioner Donald Olsommer.

The first two bridges—Kellams and Axe Factory—will be paid for by a combination of funding: 80 percent from the Federal Highway Administration, and 20 percent from PennDOT. The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) will pay for the funding for the Galloway and High bridges.

Reconstruction costs have not been determined. The county will not incur any expense for the reconstruction of the bridges.