Carbon plans repairs to Penn Forest Township bridge
A Carbon County-owned bridge in Penn Forest Township is in need of repairs and officials are starting the long process to get it fixed.
On Thursday, the commissioners approved a reimbursement agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for the design of bridge 12, located on North Old Stage Road, at a cost of $315,000. The design cost is funded through $252,000 in federal money; $47,250 in state funds and $15,750 in local funds.
County administrator Eloise Ahner said that the county reached out to PennDOT to get on its program list.
“They already have an engineer under contract,” Ahner said, adding that once funding is secured and all design and specs are completed, the state would put the project out to bid on its public system.
“This way the commissioners would not have to bid the project themselves, select engineering, contractors, inspectors,” she said. “It’s just much cleaner.”
Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein added that taking this route is a lot less aggravation for the county because the county would be required to follow PennDOT’s guidelines and rules and regulations with the bridge repairs.
Carbon County does not have funding secured yet for the repairs but will be looking at grants in the future, once a better estimate of the project cost has been determined.
The ridge is a 46-foot rolled steel I-beam bridge that is in poor overall condition, an interim state inspection stated.
It currently is posted at a 5-ton weight limit.
The commissioners said that there is no timeline on the project to date, estimating that it make take approximately two years before the project is bid out and completed.
