By Monica Pryts
JAMESTOWN — Two of Jamestown’s four foot bridges have reopened temporarily, but construction on the permanent structures probably won’t be done until spring.
“We had to come up with something,” said William “Doug” McElhaney, council president.
The heavily used pedestrian walkways, two each on Jackson Street and Liberty Street, were scheduled to be replaced by mid-June.
The deteriorating concrete ones were demolished earlier this year and new supports were poured, but construction stopped there.
PennDOT, which is overseeing the project, told the contractors to stop because of welding certification issues with the bridges’ manufacturer in Minnesota, McElhaney said.
That company is still waiting to get recertified so it can continue making the bridges. Stress tests on some welded samples failed, he said.
“The saga continues,” he said.
The bridges have been closed since the demolition and pedestrians have had to walk on the street. That could have been dangerous when school resumed Aug. 24 and the Jamestown Community Fair started Sept. 8, but temporary traffic control and outlined walkways worked out well, he said.
Franklin-based Shingledeckers Welding Inc. is the project contractor and at the end of October, its crews set up temporary bridges, one on Jackson and one on Liberty. The other two remain closed, McElhaney said.
The temporary structures, made of steel and lumber, should hold up through the winter and everyone hopes construction can start again when spring arrives.
“It’s the only solution for now,” he said.
No one has complained about the new setup and pedestrians seem happy to have at least a temporary fix, he said.
The project is funded mostly by a $154,474 federal grant through the Safe Routes to School program. The borough has chipped in about $20,000 to cover engineering costs, a requirement to use the grant.
