West Newton residents Wednesday expressed their appreciation for the state’s plans to construct a temporary bridge over the Youghiogheny River that will keep the two sides of the river community connected while a major rehabilitation of the West Newton Bridge closes it for more than a year.

“It’s better than not having a temporary bridge,” said Paul Williams, director of the West Newton Emergency Management Agency. “It’s great for us to have that emergency access to both sides of the river.”

The West Newton Fire Department is on the east side of the river and would have to station a fire truck on the west side, thus splitting the department’s resources — vehicles and manpower — Williams said. He said knowing how to access the river in case of emergencies in the water during the construction phase also is critical.

“We won’t miss a beat,” Williams said during a two-hour open house in which PennDOT officials explained the project. They displayed numerous posters showing the temporary bridge, the existing bridge’s rehab design and specifications of the estimated $20 million project.

“We are so happy it is coming to fruition,” said Mayor Mary Popovich.

The bridge rehabilitation project has been long discussed because the 117-year-old bridge is classified as being in poor condition. PennDOT has made repairs to the bridge this century and closed it for repairs about 15 years ago, but not to the extent that is being planned.

“That was horrifying,” Popovich said, recalling when the bridge was closed. Businesses suffered.

“This is a gateway to a new beginning,” Popovich said. “It will bring more attention to town. It’s preserving the past while looking toward the future.”

The temporary bridge plan

The existing bridge will remain open this year while a contractor builds the roadways approaching the river, then builds the 500-foot-long temporary bridge.

The temporary bridge will have two lanes and a pedestrian sidewalk.

It will connect with North Water Street downstream of the existing bridge and cross diagonally to Collinsburg Road adjacent to the west side of the existing bridge.

In preparation for the temporary bridge, utilities have to be moved and piers will be built — one above the east bank of river and two in the middle — said Jeremy Hughes, PennDOT District 12 assistant director.

The temporary bridge will be built and “pushed” in 10-foot sections across the Youghiogheny from the east side to the west side, Hughes said.

It will take about six months to build, said Brian Svesnik, PennDOT project manager.

That temporary bridge will be strong enough for a loaded tractor-trailer, as well as fire trucks, to cross the river, said Todd Libengood of GFT Infrastructure Inc. of Pittsburgh, which designed the temporary bridge and the renovated West Newton Bridge.

The connection to the west side of the temporary bridge will not not alter the path of the Great Allegheny Passage, connecting Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Md., which follows a former railroad line on the west side of the river, he said.

Once the temporary bridge is open to traffic around April 2027, the West Newton Bridge will be closed and may not be reopened until the fall of 2028, Hughes said.

The rehabbed bridge

A new concrete deck will be installed, there will be new sidewalk and railing, stone masonry will be cleaned and it will have new approach slabs. New steel eyebars will be installed.

The new design will keep the three trusses of the historic bridge in place.

When the new bridge is opened, the contractor will be required to remove the temporary bridge and the piers in the middle of the river, said Kristin Scarr, PennDOT environmental manager.

Why the temporary bridge?

In determining whether to build a temporary bridge, PennDOT District Executive Director Rachel Duda said officials assessed the benefits of maintaining the crossing or having traffic detour to other bridges on the Youghiogheny River.

The Interstate 70 bridge over the Yough is about 7 miles south of West Newton, and the bridge at Sutersville is about 5 miles north.

“It’s unusual for the state to have a bridge this big,” Duda said of the 500-foot-long bridge.

To make the project a reality, the state has partnered with the Federal Highway Administration, which provided $17 million in January 2025, in part because West Newton is considered an underserved community, said Angela Baker, PennDOT transportation manager for District 12. She said the state is responsible for providing the remainder of the funding.

PennDOT will get a better handle on the costs when construction bids are opened May 7.

Betty Salvatore, who lives on the west side of West Newton, said having a temporary bridge available to her is critically important because she checks on her mother, who lives on North Water Street on the east side of town.

“I go to see her a lot,” Salvatore said.

Pastor Beth Dunlap, leader of First Church of God on North Second Street, said she was relieved that parishioners still will be able to park on both sides of North Second Street on Sundays, even with what could be more traffic because of the bridge work.

“We would not be able to have church without parking on both sides,” Dunlap said. She expressed concerns that they did not want parishioners getting a parking ticket if there were parking restrictions.

John Letterio, who operates Letterio Distributing on North Water Street with his brother, said the new bridge is a long time in coming.

Their beer distributorship will be close to the approach to the east end of the bridge, so customers will have to be a little more careful when driving in that area.

“We’re happy it (the old bridge) did not fall down. They’re holding it together with paper clips,” Letterio quipped.

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