Irwin officials approved a study Wednesday to find a detour around the closed Colony Drive Bridge, even as they face a $1 million price tag to replace the structure.
While council members seek a path for traffic, they have learned there may be no way to detour around the high cost of installing a temporary bridge and building a permanent replacement.
They directed Gibson-Thomas Engineering Co. of Latrobe to conduct a feasibility study of detour routes around the closed span.
The route likely would involve directing eastbound traffic on Route 30 from Colony Drive to Barnes Lake Road in North Huntingdon, then connecting with streets in the township that intersect with Colony Drive, south of the closed bridge, borough officials said.
“We think it is the best path forward, to begin the plan for a detour,” said council President Tyler Baum.
That study, and obtaining approval from PennDOT to use the state road, could take three to four months and cost between $15,000 and $20,000, said Matthew Burns, senior bridge engineer for Gibson-Thomas.
Steve Schmitt, the borough’s engineer with Gibson-Thomas, said it could be three years or more before funding is in place for a new bridge.
The closed bridge has forced residents in 226 units at the Norwin Townhomes complex and visitors to the Core Event Center at 100 Colony Drive North to find alternate routes to Route 30.
“We owe it to them to find a solution quickly,” Baum said. “This seems like a crazy situation.”
Such a detour using Barnes Lake Road would increase the response time if there is a fire or other emergency at the Norwin Townhomes, where the most direct access is over Colony Drive Bridge, said Councilman Nick Powanda, an Irwin firefighter.
The bridge has been closed since Jan. 15 because of a hole in the bridge deck. Engineers determined that the deck and beams supporting the deck need to be replaced, but the substructure supporting the bridge over an unnamed tributary of Tinker’s Run can be repaired without being replaced.
Even without an official posted detour, Councilman Shawn Stitely pointed out that residents and those going to the Core Event Center are finding alternative routes.
Gibson-Thomas had applied for $936,000 in federal funding through the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development grant program for a new bridge, Schmitt said. That price includes the cost of engineering and designing the bridge, as well construction, Schmitt said.
A spokesperson for the House Appropriations subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development could not be reached for comment Thursday. No congressional representative from Pennsylvania is listed on the House of Representatives subcommittee overseeing the grant program.
The borough likely will not know if it is a finalist for the grant until late April or early May, said Borough Manager Shari Martino.
As for the temporary bridge project, council discussed the possibility of having a feasibility study conducted on placing a temporary bridge at the site, which may cost about $175,000, including the price of the study, Burns said.
Ramps would be needed to tie into both sides of the bridge, Burns said. There is a further complication with making the bridge ramps compatible with the entrances to nearby businesses, such as the Howard Hanna real estate office on Route 30.
Baum said the borough would have to find funding for a feasibility study.
Nick Matt, a partner in Norwin Townhomes, said following the meeting he was leaving with more questions than answers. Norwin Townhomes has pledged to contribute $24,000 to the project to replace the bridge.
Baum told Matt: “We share the frustration.”
