Aug 31, 2018 By For The Greene County Messenger 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Greene County Commissioners recently approved an ordinance for a low-interest loan that will be used to help pay for the construction and design work costs of four county-owned bridges in need of replacement.

Commissioners agreed to authorize a loan totaling $1.12 million from the Department of Transportation’s Pennsylvania Infrastructure Bank, which will be used to match grant funding already secured for the projects.

Earlier this year, Commissioners agreed to participate in a federal and state funding program that will provide $2 million in grants from the state’s Road Maintenance and Preservation Program.

Because the county must match the grant funding, the state accepted $1 million in Act 13 money that the county has used over the past few years on previous bridge projects as a match. The other $1 million will be matched through the loan approved Thursday.

The county will pay back the loan over a 10-year period with revenue acquired through vehicle registration fees.

Commissioner Blair Zimmerman said acquiring the loan is “a smart move” for the county because securing the money up front for the projects will help accelerate progress.

“A normal, typical cycle for bridge replacements can be four to five years each if we have to wait for funding to be accessed for each individual project,” he said. “By going after these matching grants and securing the funding needed up front, we can complete these bridge rehabilitations much more quickly and efficiently. So, with this funding, what could take 15 to 20 total years for the four bridge projects hopefully could take as little as 4 to 5 years, barring setbacks.”

The total funding will pay for design work on County Bridge No. 31 in Franklin Township (over Smith Creek), and the replacement of County Bridges No. 8 in Perry Township (over Shannon Run), No. 73 in Morris Township (over Bates Fork Creek) and No. 75 in Morris Township (over Browns Creek), the last of which is currently closed.

Officials said construction on Bridge No. 8 is expected to begin once the loan is approved and the bridge’s right-of-way is finalized. This project is expected to be bid in the fall.

The bridges are four of the 86 bridges owned and maintained by the county.

Another county bridge, No. 46 in Whiteley Township on Pitcock Road, is currently being rebuilt. Over the past few months, the county has been working with EQT – and before that, Rice Energy – to replace the bridge for access to a well site.

Officials said EQT is paying for all costs associated with the replacement of Bridge No. 46, which will save taxpayers almost $1 million.

“This is a win-win for the county, because the bridge will be replaced at a huge savings,” said Commissioner Dave Coder. “This is a terrific example of how private businesses can work with local government for the benefit of our infrastructure and our residents.”

Commissioners approved a proposal from Widmer Engineering for the construction, inspection and design of the bridge.

It is anticipated that construction on Bridge No. 46 will be completed this fall.