NARROWSBURG, NY — The findings of the Milanville/Skinners Falls Bridge study will be presented at a public meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, at the Narrowsburg Union, 7 Erie Avenue, Narrowsburg.

Consultants from AECOM will lead the presentation, announced Susan Sullivan, an alternate to the Upper Delaware Council representing the Town of Tusten. AECOM is an infrastructure consulting firm hired by the PA Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to study the bridge, 

The 470-foot-long bridge spans the Upper Delaware and connects Milanville, PA, and Skinners Falls, NY. It’s been closed for emergency repairs since October 2019, when structural problems were found, including rotting deck timbers and deteriorating truss braces, which prevent the bridge from shifting. The bridge is also closed to pedestrians and bicyclists.

The study set out to identify the bridge's role in the community’s transportation needs. Members of the public may review the report online at https://tinyurl.com/2wjzs544 or the following locations: 

• Wayne County Library (Honesdale branch), 1406 North Main Street, Honesdale, PA
• Western Sullivan Public Library (Tusten-Cochecton branch), 198 Bridge Street, Narrowsburg, NY
• Damascus Township Hall, 60 Conklin Rill Road, Damascus, PA
• Town of Tusten Hall, 210 Bridge Street, Narrowsburg, NY

A 45-day comment period begins today, Thursday, April 11, and ends on May 26. Comments may be emailed to skinnersfallsbridge@aecom.com, or mailed to Amy Lolli, PennDOT Assistant Liaison Engineer, Department of Transportation, District Office 4-0, 55 Keystone Industrial Park, Dunmore, PA 18512.

The next steps include: planning for a historic rehabilitation, doing technical studies, and offering alternatives. These steps will be followed by an environmental review.

PennDOT developed six conceptual alignment locations for a replacement bridge and studied how each would affect the area’s historical, socioeconomic, and environmental resources. More information about the three alignments recommended for further study may be found at https://tinyurl.com/4yrdd8rj.

A historic legacy

The Milanville/Skinners Falls Bridge is part of the Milanville Historic District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1902 to replace a ferry operated by the Skinner family. 

It is a Baltimore through truss bridge, a type of bridge developed in the late 19th century to handle heavy loads carried over wide spans. The truss members, with their intersecting diagonals, form an X-shaped pattern in each panel, creating a distinctive look. One famous example of a Baltimore through truss bridge is the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, also built in 1902, which collapsed into the Patapsco River on March 26.

Other historic bridges spanning the Upper Delaware have been involved in controversial projects over the years. The 1849 Roebling Bridge/Aqueduct, which connects Minisink Ford, NY, and Lackawaxen, PA, was refurbished in the 1980s to achieve greater historical accuracy, while the 1903 Pond Eddy Bridge, which connected Pond Eddy, NY, and Pond Eddy, PA, was removed and replaced in 2015 with a modern bridge.

To receive updates on the Milanville/Skinners Falls Bridge study, call the project hotline at 610-234-5148 or email Skinnersfallsbridge@aecom.com.