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.