Gay St. Bridge project delayed

Over the weekend, as I drove over the Gay St. bridge heading into town, it dawned on me that construction on it was originally set to begin in August but that I had not heard anything about it in quite some time. I had even spent some time looking around for updates on the PennDOT website but could not find anything. So it was a pleasant surprise to find an article on The Phoenix website this morning. It appears that the project has been delayed several months with the project now slated to begin sometime in November.

From the Phoenix
---
In a letter to Borough manager Anthony DiGirolomo dated June 14 and released Monday, PennDOT assistant district executive Charles H. Davies said, "At an earlier date, the Borough was notified that the Department [PennDOT] would like to provide funding equivalent to a the amount of a two-year lease on a fire truck….in order to address fire protection issues associated with the closure of the Gay Street Bridge.
Advertisement

"At this time," Davies wrote, "the Department has decided to abandon this option in favor of a more cost effective alternative."

The new option was a consequence of PennDOT's acquiring a new conversation partner: Norfolk Southern, owner of the two rail trestles.

"We are now working with Norfolk Southern," Davies continued, "to finalize specifications for the temporary jacking of the existing railroad bridge superstructure over Main Street.

"This temporary jacking will raise the existing superstructure to provide adequate vertical clearance to allow the passage of the Borough's fire truck [sic] for the duration of the Gay Street Bridge closure. Based on our previous discussions with the Borough's Fire Chief, we feel that this alternative will adequately address the response time of the Borough's ladder truck as it relates to the protection of the Northside community," Davies wrote.
---

The article has some more information on plans for the project as well as several responses from members of the council who do not seem to be too thrilled with PennDOT's new plan.

Source: The Phoenix