Proposed bridge for Ligonier Valley High School students gets added funding boost
Plans for a pedestrian bridge to improve safety for students who walk to Ligonier Valley High School moved a step closer this past week as the Ligonier Township supervisors accepted additional funding for the project.
Township Manager Michael Strelic expressed hope the $588,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, together with a previously awarded $587,000 in state multimodal transportation funding, will cover the costs of the project as originally conceived.
Planners want to construct a pedestrian bridge next to an existing vehicular bridge across Mill Run. The bridge connects Carey School Road in the township — in the vicinity of the high school — to Vincent Street in Ligonier Borough.
The full project also would add a sidewalk at each end of the bridge, extending to the high school campus on the township end and to Walnut Street on the borough end.
Local officials are concerned for the safety of students who now have to walk in traffic lanes as they cross the bridge to the school.
“There are kids walking in the road, in the dark,” Strelic said.
The township is leading the way in the joint effort with the borough and the school district.
While the two grants combined are just shy of the project’s estimated $1.2 million cost, Strelic said, “Hopefully, with this (foundation) grant and the previous one there will be no money out of pocket for the three entities.
Strelic said the township engineer is beginning work needed to seek required permits for the project.
“That will determine how much bridge we need, which will determine how much it will cost,” Strelic said. “We’ll figure that out in the next couple of months.
“Hopefully, we are fully funded. What I don’t want to do is just reduce the scope of the project.”
He pointed out the township still has project grant applications pending with other funding sources — including the state Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program and the Local Share Account, which taps gambling revenue.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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