County engineer makes report on Wayne bridges

By TOM KANE

HONESDALE, PA - Two bridges owned by Wayne County are closed due to late-June flooding. Ten others sustained some damage but remain open.

County engineer Steve Knash made his report on the condition of the county bridges to the commissioners at their meeting on August 1.

The closed bridges are the Kellams Bridge located at Dukes Road in Manchester, and the Cummings Bridge at Cross Creek Road in Buckingham Township, approximately 4.75 miles south of Equinunk. Both bridges cross the Equinunk Creek.

The bridge that crosses the Delaware River at Kellams, which is maintained by the New York Department of Transportation (NYDOT), is also closed.

Two other county bridges have been closed since the April 2005 storm: the Gallway Bridge above Lookout and the High Bridge located in Damascus.

The county got permission from the state Department of Environmental Protection to build a temporary bypass around the Cummings Bridge. Construction of the bypass has already begun, Knash said.

“It should take around one year to complete the construction of the bridges in order for them to reopen,” Knash said. The bridges with minor damage will be repaired within a few months.

“If the repairs are under $4,000, I can get a contractor to do the work,” Knash said. “If the cost is between $4,000 and $10,000, I need a few quotes. Repairs over $10,000 will demand a bidding process,” Knash said.