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The Oxford Street Bridge in Hanover Township isn’t in danger of collapse or in need of replacement, a Luzerne County engineer said Thursday.
Township residents had attended this week’s county council meeting to express dire concerns about the bridge’s safety and to urge officials to replace the demolished Division Street Bridge a block away, which also crossed Solomon Creek.
County officials were unable to verify which government entity owns the Oxford Street Bridge or provide details about its condition during that meeting.
But county engineer Lawrence Plesh on Thursday confirmed the 60-foot-long concrete span is county-owned and said it passed a state inspection in October with an overall satisfactory condition rating.
A PennDOT consultant must inspect the bridge every two years because it is longer than 20 feet and falls under the state’s bridge management system, Plesh said.
Built in 1950, the span is not labeled structurally deficient, according to a state inspection summary.
Bridges are rated structurally deficient if one or more of their major structural components deteriorate, which can result in weight limits or closure if they are deemed unsafe, officials say. Structurally deficient bridges are considered safe for travel but need costly repairs or replacement to meet current standards.
Of the 304 county-owned bridges, 185 — or about six in 10 — are considered structurally deficient based on the latest inspections, said Plesh, a certified bridge safety inspector.
Township resident Jay Sweetra stated during this week’s meeting that the Oxford Street Bridge has a 5-ton weight limit that would prevent safe passage by a 28-ton township fire department ladder truck.
Plesh, however, said there is no weight limit or other restrictions on the bridge.
Sweetra said he based his assertion on a weight limit sign posted on Oxford Street near the bridge. Plesh said this sign applies to the street, not the bridge.
Plesh said he would support installing loose stone known as riprap around the bridge base and fixing minor concrete scaling, known as spalling, to address recommendations in the latest inspection. He conservatively estimated those repairs would cost approximately $200,000.
“This bridge is not a candidate to replace at this time in my opinion,” Plesh said.
While the decision rests with county council, Plesh does not believe a new Division Street bridge is warranted because there is not enough funding available to cover higher priority repairs and replacements of existing spans crucial for emergency evacuations and school transportation.
The county owns 26 bridges with weight limits, Plesh said earlier this year.
“There is another bridge a block away, and the Division Street Bridge is in a residential area,” Plesh said. “It is not needed in my eyes. We have many other pressing needs, and I can think of a million other things to do with that million dollars.”
He was referring to the $1 million county council members had set aside in their capital plan toward the estimated $2 million cost of a new Division Street Bridge.
The county administration’s new proposed capital plan removed that $1 million allocation. If council opts to restore it and keep other proposed projects intact, only $300,000 would be left to fund capital needs until the debt-ridden county is willing or able to borrow again.
‘There for a reason’
County officials have maintained Wilkes-Barre is responsible for funding half the $2 million for a new Division Street Bridge — an assertion disputed by city officials. City Mayor Tony George had included the bridge replacement in his election campaign goals.
But the mayor now says it’s not the city’s responsibility, although he’s willing to help however he can.
“The Division Street Bridge is the responsibility of Luzerne County,” George said Thursday. “The city of Wilkes-Barre will work with the county as much as we can to find a resolution. My administration has been and will continue to discuss the bridge with county Manager C. David Pedri.”
Pedri also is exploring the feasibility of a pedestrian bridge accessible only to low-ton emergency vehicles, which would cost less than $1 million.
Sweetra and his Woodbury Street neighbors said the loss of a bridge has led to bottlenecks and hazardous driving by motorists cutting through side streets to escape congestion. He expects a larger crowd from his neighborhood will attend both August council meetings. Council members have until Sept. 1 to amend the capital plan.
A secondary crossing accessible to all vehicles, not only emergency ones, is necessary because the Oxford Street Bridge is at a busy intersection with the Sans Souci Parkway, Carey Avenue and West End Road and can’t handle the overload, Sweetra said. He questioned if the Division Street Bridge elimination is the start of a trend to reduce the county’s bridge inventory.
“That bridge was there for a reason, and we need it there,” Sweetra said. “There’s too much traffic without it.”