The public will have a chance to see plans for the multi-year replacement of two aging Pittston area bridges during a meeting next week.
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) officials will unveil information regarding the Firefighters' Memorial (Water Street) Bridge and Specialist Dale Kridlo Memorial (Fort Jenkins) Bridge from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 8 at the Wyoming Area Secondary Center Auditorium, 252 Memorial St., Exeter.
The $105.4 million dollar project will see the spans replaced in stages to keep traffic flowing across the Susquehanna River between Pittston and West Pittston.
Demolition of the Firefighters' Memorial Bridge is expected to begin in 2026, pending relocation of a gas line that crosses the structure. Construction of the new spans is estimated to begin in the fall of 2027 and continue until late 2030, PennDOT officials said.
The purpose of the plans display is to introduce the project, display and describe the planned traffic control, and receive public input regarding questions or concerns with the project, PennDOT officials said.
An overview of the project can be found at this page on the PennDOT District 4 website. The plans display (display boards, comment form, and project information sheet) can be accessed virtually by clicking the links under the "Resources" section on the upper right side of that page.
Troubled bridges
Constructed in 1914, the Luzerne County-owned Firefighters Memorial Bridge carries Water Street over railroad tracks and the river.
But the span was closed in the summer of 2021 after an inspection revealed structural deficiencies affecting load-bearing eyebars on the iron truss structure.
The state-owned Fort Jenkins Bridge, meanwhile, which carries busy Route 11 across the river, accommodates an estimated 20,000 vehicles each day, a number that has swelled since the Firefighters' Memorial Bridge was closed nearly three years ago. The intersections and roads on either side of the bridge are often congested, especially at peak hours, as traffic crossing the span funnels into and out of local neighborhoods.
PennDOT has agreed to manage design and construction of both bridges, and will turn the new Water Street span back over to Luzerne County once construction is complete.
Construction details
In order to keep traffic moving across the river, the Firefighters' Memorial Bridge will be replaced first. In the meantime, the first half of the Kridlo Memorial Bridge will be built "off-alignment" to speed up the process.
When the new Firefighters' Memorial Bridge is done, traffic will be diverted to that bridge while the existing Kridlo Memorial Bridge is removed and the remainder of the new bridge constructed.
PennDOT says other elements of the work will include:
- Dedicated turn lanes on Wyoming Avenue, Luzerne Avenue, and Main Street.
- Limited turning movements at Susquehanna Avenue.
- Updated signals in Pittston at Water Street and Kennedy Boulevard, and at Wyoming Avenue and Main Street.
- A new signal at Exeter and Wyoming avenues in West Pittston.
- Wider shoulders on both bridges for bicycles
- A new walkway ramp from Kennedy Boulevard to Pittston Riverfront Park.
- Pedestrian and ADA crossings at intersections.
- Sidewalks on both sides of both bridges.
A public comment form can be found at this page, and will be available from May 8-22.
