Indiana Township officials vow to continue safety efforts on 128-year-old bridge and tunnel
A very old railroad bridge has a new look in Indiana Township, as township officials continue their efforts to restore the Rural Ridge tunnel along Little Deer Creek Valley Road to ensure optimal public safety for motorists.
Rebecca Mink of Indiana Township has witnessed the deterioration of a 128-year-old railroad bridge tunnel for most of her life.
“It was never in good shape. It just got worse,” she said.
The longtime resident described the narrow, dark tunnel as problematic. She’s happy to see the township tackle its safety issues.
“It was bad and there were always accidents in the tunnel, because of how it’s positioned,” Mink said as she drove through the repaired tunnel during an interview in June.
Mink moved to Indiana Township when she was 5. and lives a few houses away from the tunnel.
For decades, the railroad bridge has shown increasing signs of aging. It’s had water damage and cracked concrete, resulting in some cars getting damaged by falling debris from the tunnel ceiling.
Mink kept her eye on the restoration work last year, often visiting the construction crews to keep up to date on the repairs.
The railroad bridge was constructed around 1897 by the Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad.
The tunnel has a 10-foot clearance, more than enough height for the horse-and-buggy mode of transportation during the 1800s, but woefully inadequate to accommodate modern-day tractor-trailers.
Indiana Township Police Chief Steve Colucci says he has seen steady structural deterioration of the bridge since the 1990s.
Last year, Colucci and township officials spearheaded efforts to restore the concrete bridge. It took them about a year to get any formal action on the bridge, Colucci said, and being proactive was a priority.
The police department filed a complaint last year with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission alleging public safety issues due to falling concrete from the bridge and its overall deteriorated state.
The PUC ordered Canadian National Railroad, which is responsible for maintaining the tunnel and bridge, to repair the concrete cracks and head wall and coat the tunnel ceiling with a polymer seal.
Restoration
The tunnel was closed last year in early August for several weeks as Illinois-based Sitar Construction began repairs both inside and out.
Work was completed in time for the start of last school year.
“It is a big difference when you’re looking at it, compared to what it looked like before,” the chief said. “It was a hazard then.
”We’re going into a year and some (new) damage is already going on. We can’t have an officer sitting here the whole time.”
Colucci said it was unfortunate the township was denied a grant request last year that would have paid for the installation of a stoplight on both sides of the tunnel to help improve motorist safety.
Most drivers stop at a stop sign, honk and proceed slowly to navigate a 45-degree angle to drive through the tunnel.
But some folks unfamiliar with the antique tunnel aren’t aware of the low clearance and narrowness until it’s too late.
“The trucks still come down here and the signs aren’t adequate,” Mink said. “The traffic is horrible. I think Little Deer Creek Road is dangerous.”
Mink expressed gratitude for the efforts made by township officials. She’s hopeful stop lights will be installed.
Colluci said the township has reapplied for the same grant and will find out in November.
Big trucks, big issues
Trucks continue to get stuck inside the tunnel. The repaired bridge has new damaged areas caused by tractor-trailers hitting it. A large black streak showed signs of a truck scraping inside the tunnel and several areas of the tunnel have already been hit and damaged since it was restored.
“They come in and instead of stopping, they try and drive through,” said township zoning and code enforcement officer Jeff Curti.
Curti said the repair work is supposed to last and open concrete areas were filled. But a truck got stuck earlier this month. When that happens, damage often occurs to the walls of the arched tunnel.
Plans include installing additional signage to alert truck drivers of the tunnel’s clearance.
The most recent testing results by CNR show the tunnel is safe, Colucci said.
“The work they did is nice and it’s good that they did it,” Colucci said. “But how long will it last? The tunnel is simply too small for traffic on a daily basis.”
Trains cross the bridge daily and about 1,000 vehicles pass through daily.
CNR did not reply to requests for comment.
“They’re saying it’s good and it’s not affected, but we don’t get to see the engineering reports,” Colluci said.
Curti said engineers from Canadian National Railroad determined the tunnel could be repaired.
“We’re happy with the work that they did, but obviously we wish we could have the clearance higher and up-to-date,” Colucci said. “The feedback for the repair work that was done is good from the residents, but … the goal is to get the Automated Red Light Enforcement grant to get the traffic control signals up to eliminate the need for honking.”
Tunnel safety unavailable
The new gray paint on the restored tunnel is a stark contrast to the side-by-side remaining tunnel, which remains unpainted and has a section of its concrete base missing.
Colucci said the Canadian National Railroad deemed the side tunnel safe. So far, it hasn’t agreed to repair the remaining section of the 100-foot-long railroad bridge.
Repeated requests by township officials for the most up-to-date bridge safety report from Canadian National, completed in 1992, have been denied. (Federal law does not require inspection reports to be released or for railroad companies to provide an engineering study.)
Colucci said the township has reapplied for a grant that would pay for the installation of stop lights and he’s happy to see the completed progress thus far.
“Without this work, we’d still have debris falling,” Colucci said. “Right now, the work that was done is a great accomplishment for the township and motorists — it makes it a lot safer — we kept pushing the issue and U.S. Rep. Deluzio got involved and they really helped to get this going.”
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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