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| PennDOT Begins Maintenance on Erwinna Covered Bridge |
 Last week, I promised to share any new updates that I received from the state Department of Transportation (PennDOT) regarding the repair of the Erwinna Covered Bridge. On Thursday, I spoke to officials and I was provided with the following update:
Since Tuesday, PennDOT maintenance crews have been on-site stabilizing the bridge to assure that no additional damage occurs. They have determined that the super structure and decking of the bridge have not been damaged and both sides of the covered bridge have minimal repair. The extensive damage is on the bridge’s roof, portal entrance and interior crossbeams.
Because the Erwinna Covered Bridge was built in 1852, it is a Historic Bridge; therefore, once PennDOT engineers and Tran-System designers take the necessary measurements and conduct a detailed analysis that date will be supplied to the Pennsylvania Historic Society, Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corps for review and to assure that they are following historic protocol before repair work begins. Since the bridge was re-built in by PennDOT in 1996, the agency still has the original plans which expedite this process.
The bridge is 43 feet long, 19 feet wide and has an 11-foot height limit; it has no posted weight restriction and when all of the repair work is complete, the bridge will have the same appearance prior to the damage. The estimated cost for the bridge repair will be $500,000. Officials from PennDOT are doing its best to expedite this bridge repair process.
After the bridge is fully repaired, PennDOT will use a Reimbursable Activity Report against the trucking company for full reimbursement.
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