(Mon Valley Miscellany)

The state Department of Transportation has released its list of "structurally-deficient" bridges, and if you live in the Elizabeth-Forward School District, you might want to make sure your life insurance is paid up. By my count, a total of 30 bridges in Elizabeth Borough and Elizabeth and Forward townships are ranked "structurally deficient."

OK, I'm exaggerating the danger. PennDOT is quick to say that bridges deemed "structurally deficit" are safe, but need "costly repairs" to come up to modern-day standards. I'm interpreting that to mean that the bridge might not be falling apart --- it might just be too narrow or rated for smaller loads than modern traffic requires.

Still, the list is fairly sobering. Besides the EF bridges, 20 are "structurally deficient" in neighboring Rostraver, and 10 in North Huntingdon.

Five of North Huntingdon's "structurally deficient bridges" are along Route 993 near Ardara and Larimer.

I regularly drive Route 993 and Route 136, which has five "structurally deficient" spans in Westmoreland and several in central Washington County. So I'm not too surprised to hear that the bridges on those highways are narrow or otherwise in poor condition.

But secondary highways like 993 are hardly major arteries. It's more disturbing to read that nine bridges on the Parkway East are rated "structurally deficient," including the bridges that cross Old William Penn Highway and Haymaker Road.

Or that seven bridges on Interstate 70 near New Stanton and Belle Vernon are "structurally deficient."

In general, the PennDOT chart is a little bit confusing, because it doesn't list the common names for roads --- just the state's four-digit highway numbers. If I get any time this weekend, I'll try and identify some of the offenders, but here are the raw numbers, as best as my calculations allow.

Structurally Deficient Bridges, Selected Mon-Yough Area Communities
Allegheny County	Number		Washington County	Number
Dravosburg	1		Carroll Twp.	7
Duquesne	1		Charleroi	3
East Pittsburgh	7		Donora	2
Elizabeth (Twp./Boro)*	18		Fallowfield Twp.	5
Forward Twp.	12		Monongahela	1
Jefferson Hills	3		Union Twp.	4
Lincoln	5
McKeesport	1
Monroeville	8		Westmoreland County	Number
Munhall	1		North Huntingdon Twp.	10
North Versailles Twp.	1		Rostraver Twp.	21
Pleasant Hills	3		Sewickley Twp.	5
Turtle Creek	1		Trafford	2
West Homestead	1		West Newton	1
West Mifflin	4
White Oak	6
Wilkins Twp.	2
*—chart lists municipality only as “Elizabeth.” Source: Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Figures are unverified.

. . .

Gas Pains: Speaking of crumbling infrastructure ... a methane problem is plaguing Versailles Borough. No, it has nothing to do with International Village, and cabbage is not implicated (yet).

It has everything to do with the McKeesport Gas Field that underlies the region, and it's not a laughing matter.

Council has declared a state of emergency in an attempt to qualify homeowners for federal money to repair the problems. Allison Heinrichs has the story in the Tribune-Review.




Comments

See, swimming and being a 'swim coach' can be a real bonus.

I can tread water a long time.
Posted by: Mark Rauterkus at August 15, 2007 04:29 PM

Well, I think everyone should learn to swim. When I was 10 or 11, I learned at the McKeesport "Y" during the Kiwanis' "Learn to Swim" week.

But if the Rankin Bridge goes down with me on it, I don't think I'm going to be able to dog-paddle my way out of the wreckage.

I was thinking more of Noah and Bill Cosby. (Zoom-bah, zoom-bah, zoom-bah ...)
Posted by: Webmaster at August 16, 2007 12:10 AM