Another bridge in Irwin is showing its age and council is considering making less expensive repairs to stave off a costly replacement.
The one-lane, 15-foot Caruthers Lane Bridge was replaced with a two-lane span in June 2000 at a cost of $338,000 and the 33-foot First Street Bridge, of which the borough shares ownership with North Huntingdon Township, has remained closed for nearly 13 years awaiting $125,000 in funding to repair the span.
Now Irwin Council is thinking about spending some money to repair the Fairwood Drive Bridge to keep it viable until replacement funds totaling $360,000-$450,000 can be secured.
All three spans cross Tinkers Run, which meanders through the borough.
Engineer Lucian Bove told council this week that repairs to the 38-year-old Fairwood Drive Bridge, which spans the creek south of Route 30, could extend the life of the 24-foot bridge as much as 10 years.
"It needs to be replaced eventually. I think the repairs will give it a 10-year extension possibly 15 years," Bove said.
The engineer said estimated repair costs offered by Mackin Engineers of Pittsburgh totaled $108,000, but he said he believes the needed work could be done for $79,000.
Bove said repairing the bridge may interrupt the flow of traffic. "We may need to limit traffic to one lane, or maybe detour. But there will be some traffic control needed," he told council.
The First Street Bridge is on a 12-year waiting list to obtain grant money from the Federal Highway Administration's National Bridge Inspection Standards program, borough Manager Mary Benko said. Under this program, the federal share of costs is 80 percent, the state picks up 15 percent and local governments would foot 5 percent of the costs.
Bove said the repair work could keep the bridge usable until it can be considered for federal monies. Benko said council may decide to use state liquid fuels money to pay for the repairs this year.
