WEST NEWTON, Pa. — It’s the link between two halves of a Westmoreland County community, with more than 6,500 vehicles crossing it every day. PennDOT says it needs to be replaced.
One business owner said closing the West Newton Bridge would essentially close the town.
“If we didn’t have this bridge, we wouldn’t have West Newton,” Senior Center Board Member Lynn Kisner said.
Kisner and her husband work at the two businesses closest to the West Newton Bridge. They say that with PennDOT’s upcoming repairs, their customers will have to use back doors and find somewhere else to park.
“We lose parking in the front, we lose the sidewalk, and we lose our front door,” said Kisner said.
PennDOT said this bridge did not require an immediate closure, but the sidewalks are bent, the railings are bent and the signs of aging are obvious.
Drone 11 captured holes, rust, and deterioration. PennDOT says that because of the poor conditions, it will require a complete closure for repairs, but they are aware of the effect it could have on the town and daily travel.
“We consider the amount of time it would take them to travel a detour, fuel costs, wear, and tear on their vehicle. We enter that into a calculator and come up with a figure,” PennDOT project manager Brian Svesnik.
PennDOT says that figure was a high cost to the daily traveler, sparking the need for a temporary replacement bridge. Svesnik said they also wanted to keep the bridge to keep the town alive. Kisner says the bridge is a major connection in Westmoreland County.
“It joins 70, 51, 201, 136, 31...everything is joined here, and there’s a lot of traffic,” Kisner said.
The project will now cost PennDOT $20 million over the next three years.
Utility relocation is set to begin as early as June, and PennDOT says the West Newton Bridge will not close until the temporary bridge is in place.
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