NARROWSBURG, NY — Strongly encouraged by some 400 petition signatures and local agency letters requesting an update on the fate of the Narrowsburg bridge, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) responded by holding a public meeting July 29 to field all questions.

The 1953 bridge has been reduced to a single lane controlled by traffic signals since emergency repairs were completed two years ago to address advanced deterioration of the deck, which had caused a weight limit down-posting to 15 tons on January 8, 2013.

“The attempt was to get one good lane on the bridge for travel. It will remain in that condition until permanent repairs are done,” said Neil A. Shemo, senior project manager for PennDOT design consultant, AECOM Technical Services, Inc.

Plans are to advertise for bids in October 2016 once all of the construction plans, environmental clearances and permits receive final approval; start construction in spring 2017; complete the upstream side that fall; resume work on the downstream side the following spring; and restore traffic to both lanes by fall of 2018.

Why such a long process? Shemo was asked.

“This is about the shortest we can make it from here to there. The first factor is the complexity of the bridge. Similar to that, since it’s so unique, we have to consider the modifications carefully,” he said.

Money is an equally critical factor. Approximately $9 million in funding from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), New York State and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had to be secured to cover both the emergency repairs and the major rehabilitation expense.

Lee M. Smith, senior project manager for Bridge Structural Services at Dewberry Engineers, Inc. said their “100% hands-on inspection” done in November 2012 found not only the deck damage, but also section loss, pack rust, paint failure, damaged stringers, broken welds, and the sidewalks and railings to be in “poor to fair” condition, as evidenced by numerous photos he projected.

New features on the bridge, following some concrete patching of the substructure and replacement of stringers, arch stiffeners, and floor beams on the superstructure, will include a flush-filled, steel-grid-reinforced concrete deck. This will replace the open grid deck that has proved problematic by allowing moisture and road salt to significantly corrode key bridge elements.

Construction impacts

The plans call for a maximum of 15 closures, which will be done during overnight hours, scheduled to avoid weekends and holidays, and publicized well in advance. The successful contractor would face financial penalties if the number or duration of those 15 closures is exceeded during the two-year period.

Detours during the closures will be directed to a northern route crossing the Cochecton-Damascus Bridge, 18 miles away, though this alternative was deemed unsuitable for truck traffic, and for a southern route to the Barryville-Shohola Bridge with a loop onto PA roads of approximately 50 miles.

PennDOT and its design consultants have had ongoing coordination with emergency service providers, with the main concerns being the mutual aid for fire departments across the river and the fact that Tusten EMS serves properties on the PA side.

To accommodate the advance notifications of closures, 911 response plans will be revised accordingly

Regarding impacts to the Upper Delaware River, Shemo said, “It will be open underneath the bridge at all times, but boaters will be pushed to either the New York or PA side depending on where the construction activity is occurring.”

“We don’t want things to fall down on the boaters, but they will be allowed to pass,” he said, adding that the National Park Service Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River must sign off on an Aid to Navigation Boating Safety Plan including signage, routes and markers.