County receiving reimbursement for Summit Twp. bridge engineering costs
The county is receiving $413,000 in reimbursement for pre-engineering costs for the replacement of the county-owned Neigh Wadsworth Bridge on Geibel Road in Summit Township.
County commissioners on Wednesday approved a contract to receive that reimbursement from the state Department of Transportation, which is getting the money through the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.
Mark Gordon, county chief of economic development and planning, said the pre-engineering reimbursement is included in this year’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), and the $2.8 million for final design and construction of the new bridge is one of the proposed projects on the 2023 TIP.
The state legislature will consider the 2023 TIP in October. At that time, the county will request an update on the project funding.
Funding through the infrastructure act also will cover the construction cost, Gordon said.
The only cost that the county will incur for the project is for right-of-way acquisition, he said.
The county’s engineering firm, Herbert, Rowland and Grubic Inc., will design the new bridge, and PennDOT will administer the bidding process and award a construction contract.
Construction is expected to begin no sooner than 2025.
She said the county, township supervisors and the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission, which prepares regional TIP funding proposals for the state, worked together to obtain funding for the project.
“This doesn’t just happen,” Osche said.
Commissioner Kevin Boozel said funding through the Infrastructure Act allowed the project to proceed sooner than anticipated.
