BY JULIE BENAMATI
BELSANO — Residents who have been driving on a five-mile detour since May soon will be happy when Adams Crossing Bridge over Blacklick Creek again is opened for traffic.
Built in 1917, the one-lane, timber-deck span had a 4-ton weight limit, prohibiting emergency vehicles, school buses and commercial snowplows from crossing.
Blacklick Township supervisors will be on hand at 9 a.m. Wednesday for the final walk-through with PennDOT representatives.
“The walk-through is the final act, so the bridge will be officially open to the public that day,” Supervisor Joe Sherwood said. “We’re glad the bridge is done.”
Construction began in May, Sherwood said. And while the price tag was originally estimated to be about $600,000, supervisors were shocked when the fuel crisis escalated associated costs to $1 million.
“In four months’ time, the cost went up $400,000,” Sherwood said. And that increase cost the township an additional $80,000.
Eighty percent of construction costs were funded through PennDOT, but the township was responsible for the remainder.
Township officials elected to take out a 10-year state-funded infrastructure loan to fund their $200,000 share.
The new bridge was built with a prestressed concrete box frame and widened to accommodate two-lane traffic.
