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The Larson Design Group (LDG) Bridge Design team recently celebrated its work on eight bridges in Bradford County, holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Bradford County Commissioners and Susquehanna Valley Construction Corporation in Tuscarora Township at the Edinger Hill Road bridge over Fargo Creek.
The goal was to replace substandard or poor condition structures with new bridges. Bradford County’s aging bridge inventory had a high number of bridges in need of replacement, which was significantly affecting the movement of legal loads, emergency services and the traveling public. Using 100% Act 13 Impact Fees, Bradford County replaced these key pieces of the County bridge inventory at a time when traditional bridge replacement funding sources are limited.
“It was a pleasure working with Bradford County on this innovative ‘bridge bundling’ approach to project delivery. The project was a great success and even won the 2020 Road and Bridge Safety Improvement Award,” said David Gunsallus, LDG Director of Bridge Design. “This last bridge in the bundle was opened to traffic in 2020 and construction was recently closed out in 2021, which signified the ribbon cutting.”
The project was the result of a process known as “bridge bundling,” in which several county-owned bridges classified as poor condition are repaired or replaced concurrently. Bundling the work creates efficiencies and thereby reduces the costs of design and construction.
The ribbon-cutting held in Tuscarora Township represented more than the re-opening of another important county bridge, or even the completion of all eight projects in the bundle. Bradford County owns 52 bridges and these eight resulted in a 34 percent reduction in the number of poor condition bridges in the county; providing a bridge crossing where a bridge had collapsed or washed out and removed a longer detour at County Bridge 11; providing bridge crossings that allowed for Townships to cross the new bridge with plow trucks in winter; providing bridge crossings for local school districts and residents that allowed school buses to cross without worry of a weight limit; and improved hydraulic openings at all structures to help mitigate the effects of future flooding.
“We want to thank Larson Design Group, Susquehanna Construction and our Planning department for all the work they did on this project,” said Daryl Miller, Chairman of the Bradford County Commissioners. “It is amazing to have a project of this size come in on time, other than some issues with the pandemic, and under budget. The crews did an incredible job and were very impressive. Upgrading 8 structurally deficient bridges and saving the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars is something that we are all very proud of.”
Founded in 1986, Larson Design Group is an award-winning national architecture, engineering and planning firm with 13 offices in five states and a vision to elevate client relationships, enrich the careers and lives of its employee-owners, and enhance the communities in which it operates. For more information on our Transportation services and offerings, visit www.larsondesigngroup.com/markets/transportation.