Murrysville to evaluate permanent fixes for Logan's Ferry, Heather Highlands bridges

Murrysville officials would like to build on a 2018 study of the Logan’s Ferry bridge intersection and begin evaluating permanent fixes for there and the Heather Highlands bridge.

“We have a major problem with several bridges,” Jim Morrison, chief administrator, told council this week. “They’re required to be inspected annually. We’re putting money into them annually to maintain the superstructure, and we need to find alternatives to replace them.”

Last year, council joined with the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority and spent $78,000 on temporary fixes to both bridges as well as the bridge on Cal-Ken Court.

And, while the primary importance of the Logan’s Ferry project is replacing a bridge nearing the end of its useful life, the 2018 study looked at its layout and how it can be improved to help traffic flow.

Logan’s Ferry ends at Franklintowne Court, which in turn ends at Sardis Road. But with Logan’s Ferry Road carrying commuters between the Route 22 corridor and Murrysville’s western neighborhoods, and Sardis serving as the municipality’s primary north-south route, peak travel times typically find the intersection crammed with cars.

“There is some unique geometry,” Morrison said. “The way it bends down in there would never be approved as a design now.”

The study will be done by the municipality’s engineer.

“If we finally make a decision on a bridge, it’s going to take two years to get it to bid,” he said. “That Logan’s Ferry bridge could fail within those two years, so we need to be prepared.”

Municipal engineers did some preliminary work already, Morrison said.

“It’s a difficult situation down there,” he said. “It would have to come up and be more of a ‘T’ intersection, so it’s a major improvement.

“We just don’t want to be in a position where we’re in an emergency crisis.”

Murrysville Finance Director Diane Heming said roughly $950,000 in traffic impact fees is being held in reserve, part of $1.2 million total to put toward the bridge projects.