Skinners Falls Bridge is now history after a David and Goliath battle. Now it is time to move on. One very significant sign of constructive response by PennDOT and Gov. Josh Shapiro would be to ensure a lasting peace with a commitment to the preservation of the future of the historic bridges of Pennsylvania. 

This could happen with the establishment of the Advisory Commission for Pennsylvania’s Historic Bridges.

The commission’s mission will be to promote the cultural, experiential and economic value of historic preservation, and how specifically Pennsylvania’s historic bridges contribute to those values.

This commission would develop definitive, enforceable and comprehensive guidelines for the designation, maintenance, preservation and promotion of historic bridges. The commission would also sponsor an annual Historic Bridges of Pennsylvania Month, in which communities of all sizes appreciate and celebrate their bridges. A Historic Bridge of the Year would be nominated by citizens of the commonwealth. The public would vote on the bridge.

This would be part of a program to increase public awareness of the value of historic bridges in the state locally, regionally and nationally. It would augment tourism by spotlighting Pennsylvania as a destination for thousands of bridge enthusiasts.

The advisory commission would include key representatives from PennDOT, as well as those from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Pennsylvania State Museum, Preservation Pennsylvania, county historical societies, individuals such as Pulitzer Prize-winning Philadelphia Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron, Art Suckewer of Wrought Iron Bridge Company, licensed Pennsylvania architects and engineers who specialize in historic preservation of bridges, and members of the public.

The commission would also have one individual who serves as a watchdog to whom citizens can report failure to maintain historic bridges so that enforcement can be implemented.

Cynthia Nash
Milanville, PA