UPDATE: Ohl Street bridge could be out for years, official says

By Monica Pryts
Herald Staff Writer

June 10, 2009 01:43 pm

— If Mercer County’s plan to replace the Ohl Street bridge in Greenville isn’t included in the next round of state and federal funding, the new bridge won’t be built until the end of 2011.
The county-owned bridge is part of the state’s transportation improvement program for fiscal year 2009-10, but county officials don’t know yet if enough money will be available, Mark Miller, director of the county’s bridge department, told borough council Tuesday.
An annual safety inspection completed June 1 showed the 100-year-old bridge is deteriorating and can’t support more than three tons, he said. It has since been closed to traffic but remains open to pedestrians, though the bridge’s sidewalk has been closed for years.
HDR Inc., Pittsburgh, is in the preliminary stages of designing the new bridge and construction would take about a year. County officials are hoping the bridge will be moved up higher on the funding list so it could be finished by the end of 2010, Miller said.
The cost of replacing the bridge has yet to be determined.
PennDOT wants to help expedite the project and Miller encouraged residents and council members to contact their local legislators to move it along.
There’s still “a lot of red tape” to work through, like determining if the bridge is an historic structure, ensuring the environment and wildlife won’t be disturbed during construction and whether some of the existing materials can be reused, he said.
“Those are the rules we have to live by,” Miller said, adding there are multiple state and federal agencies involved.
The Shenango River that runs under the bridge is home to an endangered species, the clubshell mussel, he said.
Greenville Mayor Richard H. Miller asked if the bridge could be temporarily repaired to allow local traffic. It’s an option, but an expensive one that would cost at least $100,000 to $250,000 and wouldn’t be covered by state or federal funds, Miller said.
Detours are posted, but if for some reason the Main Street bridge had to close, the closest river crossings are on Porter Road in West Salem Township or Wasser Bridge Road in Hempfield Township.