Meadville’s Mead Avenue Bridge may find a new home not far from where it currently sits, if construction of a new bridge at the current site is ultimately approved.

Once removed from its current location, the historic bridge could become part of Ernst Trail under a proposal submitted by Owen Beachy of The EADS Group, Crawford County’s contracted engineering firm. The proposal was announced at Tuesday’s work session of the county commissioners.

Beachy presented a letter to commissioners asking for support to possibly re-use the bridge to go over Mill Run and connect Ernst Trail — a popular hiking-biking lane — to nearby Bicentennial Park. Currently, the trail ends near Bean’s Service Station on Route 322, but plans are to expand it. Bean’s and Bicentennial Park are a little more than a mile apart, and access across Mill Run would be needed. Mill Run flows through Meadville and feeds into French Creek near the park.

Although the trail isn’t officially positioned in Kerrtown, Vernon Township has worked with Dad’s Products, and an unofficial trail has been developed and picnic tables installed to allow trail users to access the area behind Dad’s, according to Commissioner Morris Waid.

Waid said plans would be to extend the trail, eventually crossing Mercer Street Bridge from Cussewago Road (using that bridge’s pedestrian walkway) and then turning left and into the area near the soccer fields across from Seco/Warwick, then over Mill Run and into Bicentennial Park.

However, he said, there are different options that can be explored to gain access to the park.

Beach told commissioners the Ernst Trail group is “trying to get technical assistance to help them” develop further planning. Application deadline for the assistance is Aug. 1, which was why he had to make the request Tuesday.

Since commissioners won’t have a formal meeting before that date, they chose to approve the letter and ratify it at the next meeting, Aug. 7.

In the meantime, Beachy said both the Citizens Advisory Committee and county commissioners have voiced their support for replacement of the bridge at its current location.

That support was sent in a letter of recommendation to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for its approval.

The CAC was formed in January 2006 to identify and discuss issues of common concern regarding the bridge.

Originally a wooden bridge, it was built at Mead Avenue in 1828. It was replaced with a steel truss Whipple bridge in 1871 by Penn Bridge Works of New Brighton. In 1907, the bridge was condemned as unsafe to carry trolley cars. In 1912, the original Whipple trusses were reinforced by grafting Baltimore trusses to the outside of the bridge to improve load-carrying capacity.

Because of its age and unique engineering significance/construction, the bridge was determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. This county bridge, although posted with a 4-ton weight limit, was carrying approximately 4,500 cars per day over French Creek.

It was closed March 23, 2007, because of structural and safety issues and remains closed.

As part of the process, various alternatives for the bridge were reviewed and analyzed. They included: building at the current location; building upstream from the current location; building downstream from the current location; building downstream from Bicentennial Park; building an access off Mercer Street; rehabilitation for vehicular and pedestrian traffic or not building at all, leaving the bridge closed.

Beachy reminded commissioners that they and the CAC both agreed with the recommendation to build at the current site.

The county owns the bridge, but approvals for replacement must come from PennDOT and the Federal Highway Adminis-tration, as they are funding sources.

Beachy said PennDOT has had the current-site recommendation for about a month and the county should know its approval status within two weeks. He noted it’s the number one priority project for PennDOT.

Should approval be given for replacement at the current site, an environmental study and archaeological study must be done to ensure no endangered species are in the water nor archaeological artifacts there. An engineering design would have to be done as well.

Should the Ernst Trail group receive the bridge, it too will have to do an environmental study in Mill Run — at its own expense.

“Personally, I’m in favor of it. It would help us out a lot,” said Waid of the proposal to give the bridge to the Ernst Trail group once the time comes.



Jane Smith can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at jsmith@meadvilletribune.com.



A brief update on renovation of county bridges was given to Crawford County commissioners at Tuesday’s work session by Owen Beachy of The EADS Group, the county’s contracted engineering firm.

- Muddy Creek Bridge in Athens Township. Environmental studies have been complete with no significant environmental impact discovered. Once approval has been given by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, design work can begin.

- Kreitz Road Bridge in Cambridge Township. Final design has been completed, but the last report from PennDOT is “there is no funding for construction,” said Beachy. Although Gov. Ed Rendell has $359 in potential funding for bridge repairs, Beachy said there will be “no funding until October of 2009.”

- Smith Road Bridge in Summerhill Township. The Pennsylvania Historic Museum Commission has analyzed this bridge and there is no historic distinction. It could be rehabilitated.

- Tower Road Bridge in Spring Township. Construction work is a week or two behind schedule, but work is progressing on this replacement project.