Nearly 150 Westmoreland Co. Bridges Rated In 'Poor' Condition
WESTMORELAND COUNTY (KDKA) -- Westmoreland County currently has nearly 150 bridges ranked in "poor" condition by PennDOT.
According to PennDOT data, Westmoreland County has 735 bridges, and 143 are ranked in "poor" condition. Seventy-eight of them are state-owned bridges while 65 are locally-owned.
"It's very concerning that they are in this state of disrepair. I saw where a lot of them have been labeled 'poor.' I feel like we are collateral damage sometimes. Until someone dies, they're not going to do anything about it," Westmoreland County resident Pam Wilson said.
For a bridge to be ranked in "poor" condition, PennDOT said the deck, superstructure, substructure or culvert have a low rating. The sale is based from 0 to 9, with 0 being a failed bridge that is out of service and beyond corrective action.
In Rostraver Township, nine bridges are considered to be deteriorating, and many are traveled across often.
"You have to cross a bridge to get anywhere you're going around the area in the Mon Valley," Amy Arison said, a Rostraver resident.
One of the bridges off Route 136 on Pollock Run in Rostraver has a "3" rating, which is considered "serious" condition by PennDOT. According to PennDOT, the bridge was built in 1927 and nearly 3,000 people travel across the bridge daily.
"I've always had that fear going over bridges, and now it's just even worse," Arison said.
Residents told KDKA-TV on Friday that local and state officials should have never let the bridges get to the shape that they're in.
"I'm on the road a lot. That's very upsetting to me. I go across the bridges now and just hold my breath. That shouldn't be. We pay enough in taxes, and they've gotten enough money for something to be done," Wilson said.
One week after the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh, the National Transportation Safety Board called what happened a "wake-up call." Residents in Rostraver agree.
"We need to speak out as citizens and citizens of Pennsylvania to say, I know the weather is harsh here and there's a lot of corrosion with the bridges but we're not expendable. I really hope something gets done," Wilson said.
KDKA reached out to Rostraver Township's commissioners and Westmoreland County's commissioners to learn if anything is being done to improve bridges. We have not heard back yet.
Click here for a full list of bridges in the county along with their respective ratings.
