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First Posted: 12/11/2013

TAYLOR — The Lackawanna County-owned Taylor Bridge, a major artery connecting Greater Scranton to the downvalley communities of Taylor, Old Forge and portions of Luzerne County, will be officially opened on Thursday at 10 a.m. with a brief program.

Lackawanna County Commissioners Corey D. O’Brien, Jim Wansacz and Patrick M. O’Malley will officially cut the ribbon on the $4.6 million structure during a ceremony with U.S. Sen. Robert Casey, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, state Sen. John Blake, state Rep. Sid Michaels Kavulich, former Lackawanna County Commissioners Joe Corcoran and Ray Alberigi, the DePaola Family, and officials from Taylor Borough, the Riverside School District, and PennDOT.

“This bridge completes the long-awaited Taylor Bridge renovation project. The Taylor Bridge has served as a main connector for residents living in the triboro area to the rest of Lackawanna County,” said O’Brien.

Construction of the new bridge, which was federally funded, began in early 2012, following demolition of the old structure and site preparation. Work on the bridge remained constant despite some engineering changes that had to be addressed.

“Infrastructure is of vital importance to our continued growth in economic development. Completing this project and re-opening the Taylor Bridge is another step in that process of connecting those communities,” Wansacz said.

The original Taylor Bridge was a two span girder bridge built in 1934 by A. DePaola Company, the same firm that took part in the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The new bridge, constructed by Minichi of Dupont, is a 142’ long, two span prestressed concrete adjacent box beam bridge. The project also entailed the installation of new utilities, lighting, signals and guardrails, and road stripping.

“This is a great accomplishment for our county. The structure was a team effort of a lot of agencies, organizations and individuals,” O’Malley added.