{"id":94323,"date":"2019-08-02T22:19:04","date_gmt":"2019-08-03T02:19:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=94323"},"modified":"2019-08-02T22:23:43","modified_gmt":"2019-08-03T02:23:43","slug":"bittners-corner-bridge-successfully-replaced-by-lehigh-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=94323","title":{"rendered":"Bittners Corner Bridge Successfully Replaced by Lehigh County"},"content":{"rendered":"

Images courtesy of the County of Lehigh Public Information Officer<\/span><\/p>\n

Upgrade Improves 145-Year-Old One; Will Last a Century<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>(Lowhill Township, PA)<\/span><\/b> \u2013 Construction on a Lehigh County bridge has just been completed, coming as a much-needed replacement for a structurally deficient one that lasted for well over a century. Despite the old bridge\u2019s age, it had no historical significance, and posed as a potential safety concern for hundreds of residents of Lowhill Township. Planning for the project began in 2017.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


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The Bittners Corner Road Bridge, which runs over the Jordan River, is the only means of entering and leaving a small housing community in Lowhill Township. A third of the project\u2019s two-million-dollar budget was used to construct a temporary road for the residents of the housing community. Approximately 300 vehicles travel on the structure per day.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis bridge is the critical entrance and exit transportation grid component for the local community.\u00a0 With the replacement project completed, this bridge will last the community for 100 years, providing them with safe reliable access to their homes,\u201d said Rick Molchany, Director of General Services for Lehigh County. <\/span><\/p>\n

First erected in 1875, the stone structure ran 148 feet in length, and was sufficient for years, until it began deteriorating. When the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) indicated the bridge had become a public safety concern, a committee was formed to assess whether it would be more effective to repair or replace the structure. It was quickly determined the structure needed to be completely replaced, and by 2018, construction had begun.<\/span><\/p>\n

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No local or county property tax dollars were used to replace the bridge. Instead, the county utilized funding from Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Act 44. Act 44 allocates $450 million annually to PennDOT to support the state\u2019s transportation grid. A funding formula gives about $250,000 per year to Lehigh County.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Information provided to TVL by:
\nJoshua Siegel
\nPublic Information Officer
\nCounty of Lehigh, Office of the County Executive
\n17 S. 7th Street, 4th Floor, Suite 436
\nAllentown, PA 18101
\nwww.lehighcounty.org<\/p>\n

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