Historic Layton Bridge repair or replacement project several years away
After the Layton Bridge stakeholders briefing on Thursday, Ray Waginuess (left) with Michael Baker International speaks with Donald Hasch, of Layton and owner of Hazelbakers, located across the Layton Bridge.
Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department Chief A.J. Boni, speaks to community members in attendance during the public briefing at the fire hall in Perry Twp. on Thursday.
PennDOT Senior Civil Engineer Manager, William Beaumariage, explains to those in attendance of the public briefing at the Perry Twp. fire hall on Thursday, what actions need to be done before proceeding with any changes to the Layton Bridge and Layton Tunnel.
Rebecca Devereaux|Herald-Standard
Resident Andrew Yenchik of Layton voices his opinion on the state of the Layton Bridge, saying they should build a new bridge, during the public briefing regarding the Layton Bridge on Thursday at the Perry Township Fire Hall.
Consulting project manager with HDR Engineering Bill Beining, addresses a room of stakeholders during a public briefing at the Perry Township fire hall on Thursday, regarding the Layton Bridge in Perry Township on the condition of the bridge and what they are looking to do in the future.
PERRYOPOLIS — The Layton Bridge in Perry Township was designed to carry trains carrying 100-ton loads when it was built in 1899.
The historic state-owned bridge is now used for vehicle traffic, but it has been declared structurally deficient and is limited to loads of 20 tons. One of the township fire trucks weighs 22 tons.
Residents want the state to replace the bridge, but they were told on Thursday that building a new bridge would be considered only if a study, required by federal regulations due to the bridge’s historical designation, determines the bridge can’t be rehabilitated to withstand modern use.
“Unfortunately, we can’t tell you what we’re going to do with this bridge,” Bill Beining of HDR Engineering told an audience of more than 100 people in the Perry Township Fire Hall. HDR is a consulting project manager working with the state Department of Transportation on the bridge project.
The study is scheduled to begin on June 6 and be finished late next year. A slide that closed Layton Road earlier in the day must be fixed before the study can begin.
“The reason that it takes so long is this is a historic bridge,” Beining said.
Design work and right-of-way acquisition are expected to take from 2019 to 2022, and construction would begin in 2023 or 2024, he said.
Because money from the Federal Highway Administration is being used and the bridge is a registered historical structure, the National Historic Preservation Act requires a study to determine if the bridge can be rehabilitated, Beining said.
Environmental studies are required by the National Environmental Policy Act, he said.
The bridge’s structural steel and asphalt-covered wooden deck are in poor condition, and the truss support bearings are broken, Beining said.
The 911-foot-long bridge over the Youghiogheny River and Great Allegheny Passage is 13 feet wide, and the tunnel at one end of the bridge is 15 feet wide, and neither one meets current standards, and 750 feet of tunnel and bridge is wide enough for one lane, he said.
The railing along the bridge is substandard, and sight distance is poor, he said.
Once the study begins, the bridge will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays for three weeks. It will be open all day Fridays through Sundays.
If the study determines the bridge should be rehabilitated, the work will take two years to complete, said William Beaumariage, PennDOT District 12 senior civil engineering manager.
A Layton resident said the bridge provides access for emergency vehicles coming from Perryopolis.
Officials said the study will determine whether the bridge can be rehabilitated to meet the needs of the people who use the bridge, carry modern traffic loads and accommodate pedestrians and bicycles.
Kathy Knight of Layton suggested limiting the bridge to pedestrian and bicycle use and building a new bridge upstream.
She said building a new bridge might be less expensive than rehabilitating the existing bridge.
PennDOT would not keep ownership of the bridge if it is used only for pedestrians and bicycles, Beaumariage said.
“Someone will have to own it,” Beaumariage said.
Mike Brise, owner of Brise’s garage in Layton, said he realizes something has to be done to the bridge, but closing it for two years would impact the livelihoods of many people, including businesses in Perryopolis.
“We kind of already know that,” said Rachel Duda, PennDOT District 12 assistant district executive for design.
However, PennDOT has to follow the federal regulations to determine what to do with bridge because it is historic, she said.
Beaumariage said rehabilitation has to be looked into, but building a new bridge is possible if rehabbing won’t allow the bridge to meet all local needs.
Another PennDOT official said it must be proven that rehabbing the bridge won’t meet local needs before the FHWA will approve building a new one.