The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation now plans to permanently destroy the standing Skinners Falls Bridge, reversing its prior stated intention of dismantling the bridge and storing its pieces for later use, according to The River Reporter.
This decision comes after an October inspection report which recommended repairs to the bridge and did not mention demolition as a possibility. The project team announced the reversal and new option for the first time at a virtual public meeting on December 17.
The Skinners Falls Bridge crosses the Delaware River, connecting the communities of Milanville, PA, and Skinners Falls, NY, and has been closed to vehicular traffic since 2019.
We spoke to Liam Mayo from The River Reporter who attended the meeting.
Image: The Skinners Falls Bridge opened in 1902 and was closed in 2019 after failing safety inspections. (Credit: Tom Rue/The River Reporter)
There needs to be an engineering report by an independent firm with no affiliation to PennDOT or AECOM.
Josh Shapiro must come to see this iconic, treasured, historic bridge he has literally consigned to history. He must meet with the many people who have been advocating for the preservation of the bridge for more than a decade.
Furthermore, one of the options presented included a project which would have sited a removal crane at Landers Campground. That option would have made preservation possible. But the short term business interest of Landers Campground are trumping the future of a structure built by the people of Milanville and Damascus Township in 1902. This week’s report and online meeting kept talking about local businesses. But there was no mention of The Lothian House, Lou’s Tubes or the Milanville General Store. What are the concerns of those businesses and would they prefer to see the bridge preserved , even if it meant short term economic impact? Were they consulted? My sources say no.
The bridge could be removed if that crane was placed at Landers Campground. It could then be restored according to common practice for historic preservation of this kind of structure and reinstalled.
After so much neglect of a unique structure that is on the National Register of Historic Places in two categories, and ignoring the concerns of the public and key stakeholders, that is the very least PennDOT and the State of Pennsylvania can do.
There was certainly enough money to line the pockets of an international engineering firm. Why wasn’t there money to maintain the bridge? Why wasn’t the bridge stabilized the moment it was closed as a preface to feasibility studies?
Rampant waste and mismanagement.
Call it a conspiracy theory if you want but this bridge has been left to literally rot….what about taxpayer money for infrastructure? Where did the taxpayer money from people of Wayne County and Damascus Township go? Follow the money and you will have your answer….as usual the government doesn’t listen to the people…
Restore this Historical bridge and create a short term economic package, so those affected in the time be compensated.