When PennDOT was researching cost effective ways to replace the two bridges that carry Interstates 84 and 380, they discovered an old, out-of-use railroad bridge beneath the highway.
There was little to no documentation on what the Erie & Wyoming Valley (E&WV) Railroad bridge was made of or when it was built. But the old railroad bed was owned by Lackawanna County.
After some testing, PennDOT determined the bridge was one of the first carbon steel structures constructed. And with a little TLC, crews could use it to access what the state calls “the twin bridges.”
By this spring or early summer, that E&WV bridge will be repurposed again into a small section of an over 3-mile hiking trail maintained by Lackawanna County.
"It literally opens up ... this spot.” said Sandra Opshinsky, Lackawanna County Department of Planning and Economic Development grants manager. She is the project manager.
The trail connects Dunmore and Elmhurst Twp. The county bought the 10 miles of the rail line, including the bridge with federal funding in the 80s. The original 33-mile line ran from Dunmore to Hawley. The plan was always to turn it into a recreational area, said Opshinsky.
The Dunmore trailhead will be at the top of Tigue Street. Opshinsky said they are developing that now. Trail access in Elmhurst will begin off Old State Road. There will be a dedicated parking lot that is ADA accessible.
The trail itself is mostly complete, she said. Portions of fencing are up, but signs still need to be installed and the final trail surface laid. It’s not paved, but rather a packed down pea gravel.
In 2023, WeConservePA held a workshop during the Pennsylvania Greenways & Trails Summit held in Scranton. PennDOT Engineer Tim Benner discussed the project.
The twin bridges are 160 feet above Roaring Brook. That’s about half as tall as the Statue of Liberty. The area is surrounded by cultural resources and historic structures plus nature. PennDOT had to study timber rattlesnake nesting spots before starting the project. Crews had to work around wetlands and the waterway; and preserved land, some of it steep terrain. There’s also an active railroad owned by the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority.
Benner, at the summit, said that they came to the conclusion that the E&WV railroad bridge was built in the late 1800s. The E&WV stopped running in 1955.
PennDOT expects the I-84/380 project to be complete by Spring 2026. It cost over $121 million. Of that, the railroad bridge cost $1.1 million. Benner said that was the cheapest solution.
For Lackawanna County, opening the trail brings another recreational amenity into the region at a time when the county is working to upgrade and revamp many of its parks, said Opshinsky.
For now, the county is calling the area the North Pocono Trail Corridor. Lackawanna County commissioners will decide on an official name at a later date. The area is not open to the public currently.
