Bridge in Parker renamed
PARKER, Armstrong County — The former State Bridge, carrying Route 368 over the Allegheny River between Armstrong and Clarion counties, was rechristened Veterans Memorial Bridge on Thursday.
The 20-minute ceremony, held at the intersection of Route 268 and Route 368 as traffic was halted by fire police, started with a brief invocation and the pledge of allegiance. A color guard and honor guard of about 20 veterans total, two of them from World War II, included veterans from the Roy Calvin McGinnis VFW Post 7073 and Charles A. Black American Legion Post 598, both in Parker.
Post 7073 Commander Jack Buzzard emceed the event, saying Veterans Memorial Bridge “will stand as a memorial to those who lost their lives to keep us free. It also is a sign of our respect to both our dead and living veterans.”
State Sens. Scott Hutchison, R-21st, and Don White, R-41st, as well as state Rep. Donna Oberlander, R-63rd, all attempted to simultaneously pull a rope attached to the tarp covering the sign for the rededicated bridge. When the tarp failed to come loose, Hutchinson, the tallest of the trio, scaled a guard rail and pulled it down by hand.
“I can just hear the jokes now: How many politicians does it take to unveil a sign?” said White
Shifting to a more somber tone, White said the bridge “has been hit by flood, hit by ice, and it keeps coming back,” comparing it to the strength of America's veterans.
Hutchinson cited the oft-repeated phrase “a nation which forgets its defenders, itself soon will perish.”
Oberlander said the bridge, standing tall after 80 years, is fittingly dedicated to military veterans, adding that she is married to a former U.S. Marine and understands their sacrifice.
Buzzard wisecracked, “Every time I see (Oberlander), I hug her. Nobody ever told me she was married to a Marine.”
The ceremony closed with a gun salute and a rendition of “taps” on two bugles that echoed across the valley.
The bridge recently was reopened after almost a year of work, during which its deck was repaired and the span was repainted by North Star Painting of Youngstown, Ohio.
Traffic was diverted along a 22-mile detour during construction.
The state Department of Transportation's $4.2 million project to repair the 1,140-foot, truss-style bridge retained its pedestrian walkway connecting a rails-to-trails hiking trail.
