Reconstruction of a now demolished bridge in North Irwin could begin next year after Westmoreland commissionerssigned off on a financing deal that will allocate more than $5.8 million in state funds to complete the project, which has seen little movement over the last decade.
County and local officials have sought to replace the 4th Street Bridge that traverses a ravine and the Norfolk Southern Railway line since an inspection closed the 191-foot expanse in 2014. The bridge, which linked North Irwin to state Route 993 in North Huntingdon, was removed in May 2023.
It is among the 46 bridges and 52 miles of roads owned by Westmoreland County.
“We will be ready to start construction in 2025,” said Westmoreland County Public Works Director Greg McCloskey. The project is expected to take up to 18 months to complete.
The rebuild will be paid for with state funds generated through gas well drilling fees assessed throughout Pennsylvania and in Westmoreland County. The project also received $500,000 this year from a federal program to repair bridges.
PennDOT engineers closed the bridge — originally built in 1911 and used for decades, even with a wooden deck — after a routine inspection determined rusty steel support columns put it in jeopardy of collapse. It has remained cordoned off over the last decade as officials searched for funding to pay for the rebuild.
Construction costs nearly doubled over that time period, McCloskey said.
