Climax Bridge Re-opens to Traffic by Mitch Fryer
|
MAHONING -- It's only a bridge over a creek in a remote area of Armstrong and Clarion
counties with no more than 80 vehicles crossing a day, but the new Climax Bridge bridges
the needs of two counties, said state, county and local officials at its opening Thursday.
"It's the linkage," said Armstrong County Commissioner Chairwoman Patty Kirkpatrick.
"Anything that benefits the citizens of the two counties is a good thing. It's a vital link for
nearby residents and those traveling through the counties."
The Climax Bridge is on the Armstrong and Clarion county line along township road 970
(Climax Road) spanning Redbank Creek next to the village of Climax between Mahoning in
Armstrong and Porter in Clarion.
The bridge is owned and maintained by Armstrong which has a cooperative agreement
with Clarion to share maintenance costs. Armstrong shares several other bridges with
neighboring counties, officials said.
It replaces the former bridge which was an open-grate, single lane, about 11-foot wide,
steel girder truss structure. The old bridge was built more than a century ago for a brick
refractory in Climax to connect to the railroad. Contractors demolished it last year to make
way for the site of the new bridge.
The new $1.9 million Climax Bridge is a 260-foot-long, one-lane structure over the creek.
It is two spans of continuous steel girder and is about 15 feet wide curb to curb. The
bridge has a concrete deck sealed with a penetrating protective coating sealer.
PennDOT and county officials determined that the structure did not have enough traffic
to warrant the cost of constructing a two-lane bridge. Armstrong County Commissioner
Rich Fink agreed with keeping the bridge one lane, which he said would have added $1
million to the cost.
"That's smart-sizing," said Fink of the savings. "One lane -- it fits here."
The bridge was designed by Widmer Engineering of Beaver Falls. The contractor was
Francis J. Palo of Clarion. Construction began last August.
"The old bridge was in such bad shape, it went down easily," said Charlie Clark, Palo
project manager. "Construction went well on the new bridge. We had no problems on
the job."
"The importance was high for both counties," said Clarion County Commissioner Chairman
Dave Cyphert. "It's safer and gives an alternative route."
Fink added that it was important to have a sound bridge in place for emergency services.
During 1996 flooding, it was the only transportation route across Redbank Creek, he said.
"The counties are so closely connected," said state Rep. Donna Oberlander, R-Clarion,
whose district includes both Porter in Clarion and Mahoning in Armstrong. "What's good
for the area is good for both the counties."
|
| |
David H. Widmer, President of Widmer Engineering Inc. was voted to be the Northeast
Zone Vice President of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering & Surveying
(NCEES) in April of 2009. Mr. Widmer will be sworn in to the position of Vice President in
Louisville, Kentucky on August 15, 2009.
|
| |
Widmer Engineering Inc. recently hired four new additions to our staff. Mr. James
Shroads, II, P.E. and Mr. Brenton Daily joined the company in June and also, Ms. Katelyn
Gibbs and Mr. Mike DiBiagio joined the company in October. They all currently work in
the Beaver Falls office.
|
| |
Widmer Engineering Inc. helped secure $4.2 million in low-interest loans from PennVEST
for the Borough of Monaca. Please see attached Newspaper ad for more information.
|
| |
|
