SCRANTON — A Lackawanna River Heritage Trail pedestrian bridge over the waterway in Scranton took another step forward with designs presented at a recent public meeting.
The concept calls for a trail spur at the Seventh Avenue Trailhead to parallel the existing trail along the road and descending to the spot where a former vehicle bridge crossed the river many years ago before it collapsed. That vehicle bridge was never rebuilt, leaving a dead-end road approach under the existing heritage trail along the riverbank.
The vehicle bridge had been known over many decades by three different names — Scranton Street Bridge, Cliff Street Bridge and Bridge Street Bridge, according to archives of The Times-Tribune. In 1976, the old bridge partially collapsed under the weight of a dump truck hauling asphalt, suspending the truck over a large hole in the span. The vehicle bridge was removed in the early 1990s.
In this spot, a pedestrian steel bridge of 8 feet wide and 160 feet long and with a reinforced concrete deck would be constructed over the river between the Seventh Avenue Trailhead and Cliff Street, near Steamtown National Historic Site and the Electric City Trolley Museum, said Kyle Hostetter, project manager with the engineering firm Greenman-Pedersen Inc.
The pedestrian bridge would occupy the city-owned right of way of the former vehicle bridge, Hostetter said at the meeting held at the LHVA headquarters building at 213 Railroad Ave. The bridge project has been in the works for years and the public meeting on the design status was a required procedural step. Largely final, the design could be subject to some refinement or changes based on input from the public and stakeholders, Hostetter said. Construction is targeted for late 2027 into 2028, he said.
On the Cliff Street side of the river, the pedestrian trail bridge will be about 4 feet above grade and will require a gently-sloping S-curve “switchback” section of trail descending to grade level for disabled-accessibility purposes, Hostetter said.
The pedestrian bridge and its trail section on the Cliff Street side would link to a proposed park that Lackawanna County plans to create on a 7-acre, boomerang-shaped tract along the river on vacant land of a former gas manufacturing plant that has remediation underway by UGI Utilities.
The two projects — a pedestrian bridge being done jointly by the city and Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority, and a park being done by the county — are separate and advancing on separate tracks.
The “connector style” pedestrian bridge would be constructed of “weathered” steel, which is a variety that appears shiny when installed but by design will get a rusty look after about two years in place, Hostetter said. Once completed, the pedestrian bridge would be owned by the city, said LHVA Director of Operations Owen Worozbyt.
The $1.5 million bridge project involves three sources of state funds, including $1 million from the Department of Transportation for construction, $300,000 from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for design and $250,000 from the Department of Community and Economic Development for construction and design. In partnering with the LVHA on the bridge project, the city administers the grant funds.
The popular heritage trail, which is the “signature project” of the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority, represents a linear park for various recreational, educational and community events and is a key driver of both recreation and economic development in the county.
Remediation of former gas manufacturing plant
Current remediation work of the gas plant site began in May and is expected to last eight months, according to UGI’s website. Concepts for a park on the 7 acres have included a boat launch, event lawn, stage and band shell, playground and multiuse path.
The former gas manufacturing site is off Bridge Street and Cliff Street, which also has been labeled over the years as Cliff Avenue in spots. Known as the Bridge Street Former Manufactured Gas Plant Site, it became home in the mid-19th century to a plant that converted coal and oil into “town gas” used to illuminate city streets, cook meals and heat homes, until around 1954.
UGI’s website says UGI’s predecessors operated the gas plant from before 1870 until about 1957. In the 1950s and 1960s, the plant was converted to a natural gas distribution center. From 1973 to 2010, many of the above-ground structures were demolished. After 2010, underground cleanup activities were performed. Contaminants found in soil and groundwater at the site include coal tar and oils, benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and certain metals.
Plans by Scranton and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to build the first pedestrian bridge of the trail in the city over the waterway took another step forward with a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026 to unveil preliminary designs of a span 160-feet long and 8-feet wide. The concept calls for a trail spur at the Seventh Avenue trailhead to go under an existing bridge and then have a new pedestrian bridge go over the river to an area near Cliff Street, where the county plans to create a park on the site of a former gas manufacturing plant that has remediation by UGI Utilities underway. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Plans by Scranton and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to build the first pedestrian bridge of the trail in the city over the waterway took another step forward with a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026 to unveil preliminary designs of a span 160-feet long and 8-feet wide. The concept calls for a trail spur at the Seventh Avenue trailhead to go under an existing bridge and then have a new pedestrian bridge go over the river to an area near Cliff Street, where the county plans to create a park on the site of a former gas manufacturing plant that has remediation by UGI Utilities underway. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Plans by Scranton and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to build the first pedestrian bridge of the trail in the city over the waterway took another step forward with a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026 to unveil preliminary designs of a span 160-feet long and 8-feet wide. The concept calls for a trail spur at the Seventh Avenue trailhead to go under an existing bridge and then have a new pedestrian bridge go over the river to an area near Cliff Street, where the county plans to create a park on the site of a former gas manufacturing plant that has remediation by UGI Utilities underway. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
At a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, Kyle Hostetter of the Greenman-Pedersen Inc. engineering firm, explains preliminary designs of a plan by the city of Scranton and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to build the first pedestrian bridge of the trail in the city over the waterway. The concept calls for a span 160-feet long and 8-feet wide. The concept calls for a trail spur at the Seventh Avenue trailhead to go under an existing bridge and then have a new pedestrian bridge of 160-feet long and 8-feet wide go over the river to an area near Cliff Street, where the county plans to create a park on the site of a former gas manufacturing plant that has remediation by UGI Utilities underway. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
At a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, Kyle Hostetter of the Greenman-Pedersen Inc. engineering firm, at right, explains preliminary designs of a plan by the city of Scranton and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to build the first pedestrian bridge of the trail in the city over the waterway. The concept calls for a span 160-feet long and 8-feet wide. The concept calls for a trail spur at the Seventh Avenue trailhead to go under an existing bridge and then have a new pedestrian bridge of 160-feet long and 8-feet wide go over the river to an area near Cliff Street, where the county plans to create a park on the site of a former gas manufacturing plant that has remediation by UGI Utilities underway. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
At a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, Kyle Hostetter of the Greenman-Pedersen Inc. engineering firm, explains preliminary designs of a plan by the city of Scranton and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to build the first pedestrian bridge of the trail in the city over the waterway. The concept calls for a span 160-feet long and 8-feet wide. The concept calls for a trail spur at the Seventh Avenue trailhead to go under an existing bridge and then have a new pedestrian bridge of 160-feet long and 8-feet wide go over the river to an area near Cliff Street, where the county plans to create a park on the site of a former gas manufacturing plant that has remediation by UGI Utilities underway. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Plans by Scranton and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to build the first pedestrian bridge of the trail in the city over the waterway took another step forward with a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026 to unveil preliminary designs of a span 160-feet long and 8-feet wide. The concept calls for a trail spur at the Seventh Avenue trailhead to go under an existing bridge and then have a new pedestrian bridge go over the river to an area near Cliff Street, where the county plans to create a park on the site of a former gas manufacturing plant that has remediation by UGI Utilities underway. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
At a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, Kyle Hostetter of the Greenman-Pedersen Inc. engineering firm, explains preliminary designs of a plan by the city of Scranton and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to build the first pedestrian bridge of the trail in the city over the waterway. The concept calls for a span 160-feet long and 8-feet wide. The concept calls for a trail spur at the Seventh Avenue trailhead to go under an existing bridge and then have a new pedestrian bridge of 160-feet long and 8-feet wide go over the river to an area near Cliff Street, where the county plans to create a park on the site of a former gas manufacturing plant that has remediation by UGI Utilities underway. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Plans by Scranton and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to build the first pedestrian bridge of the trail in the city over the waterway took another step forward with a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026 to unveil preliminary designs of a span 160-feet long and 8-feet wide. The concept calls for a trail spur at the Seventh Avenue trailhead to go under an existing bridge and then have a new pedestrian bridge go over the river to an area near Cliff Street, where the county plans to create a park on the site of a former gas manufacturing plant that has remediation by UGI Utilities underway. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
At a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, Kyle Hostetter of the Greenman-Pedersen Inc. engineering firm, explains preliminary designs of a plan by the city of Scranton and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to build the first pedestrian bridge of the trail in the city over the waterway. The concept calls for a span 160-feet long and 8-feet wide. The concept calls for a trail spur at the Seventh Avenue trailhead to go under an existing bridge and then have a new pedestrian bridge of 160-feet long and 8-feet wide go over the river to an area near Cliff Street, where the county plans to create a park on the site of a former gas manufacturing plant that has remediation by UGI Utilities underway. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Plans by Scranton and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to build the first pedestrian bridge of the trail in the city over the waterway took another step forward with a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026 to unveil preliminary designs of a span 160-feet long and 8-feet wide. The concept calls for a trail spur at the Seventh Avenue trailhead to go under an existing bridge and then have a new pedestrian bridge go over the river to an area near Cliff Street, where the county plans to create a park on the site of a former gas manufacturing plant that has remediation by UGI Utilities underway. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
At a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, Kyle Hostetter of the Greenman-Pedersen Inc. engineering firm, explains preliminary designs of a plan by the city of Scranton and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to build the first pedestrian bridge of the trail in the city over the waterway. The concept calls for a span 160-feet long and 8-feet wide. The concept calls for a trail spur at the Seventh Avenue trailhead to go under an existing bridge and then have a new pedestrian bridge of 160-feet long and 8-feet wide go over the river to an area near Cliff Street, where the county plans to create a park on the site of a former gas manufacturing plant that has remediation by UGI Utilities underway. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Plans by Scranton and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to build the first pedestrian bridge of the trail in the city over the waterway took another step forward with a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2026 to unveil preliminary designs of a span 160-feet long and 8-feet wide. The concept calls for a trail spur at the Seventh Avenue trailhead to go under an existing bridge and then have a new pedestrian bridge go over the river to an area near Cliff Street, where the county plans to create a park on the site of a former gas manufacturing plant that has remediation by UGI Utilities underway. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
At a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, Kyle Hostetter of the Greenman-Pedersen Inc. engineering firm, explains preliminary designs of a plan by the city of Scranton and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to build the first pedestrian bridge of the trail in the city over the waterway. The concept calls for a span 160-feet long and 8-feet wide. The concept calls for a trail spur at the Seventh Avenue trailhead to go under an existing bridge and then have a new pedestrian bridge of 160-feet long and 8-feet wide go over the river to an area near Cliff Street, where the county plans to create a park on the site of a former gas manufacturing plant that has remediation by UGI Utilities underway. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Plans by Scranton and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to build the first pedestrian bridge of the trail in the city over the waterway took another step forward with a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026 to unveil preliminary designs of a span 160-feet long and 8-feet wide. The concept calls for a trail spur at the Seventh Avenue trailhead to go under an existing bridge and then have a new pedestrian bridge go over the river to an area near Cliff Street, where the county plans to create a park on the site of a former gas manufacturing plant that has remediation by UGI Utilities underway. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Lackawanna Heritage Valley Executive Director Joe Corcoran at a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, when plans by Scranton and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to build the first pedestrian bridge of the trail in the city over the waterway took another step forward with a public meeting to unveil preliminary designs. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Old newspaper articles on a crumbling bridge over the Lackawanna River in Scranton. The former bridge linked Seventh Avenue to Cliff Street. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Lackawanna River Heritage Trail at the Seventh Avenue Trailhead area on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The area of the Lackawanna River in Scranton where a pedestrian bridge would get built linking the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail along Seventh Avenue and a proposed park on a former gas plant site. A UGI remediation of the former Bridge Street gas plant remains under environmental remediation. A park would go on the boomerang shapted piece of land off Cliff Street, near the Steamtown National Historic Site. Photo taken Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
A UGI site of the former Bridge Street gas plant along the Lackawanna River in Scranton remains under environmental remediation on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. A park would go on the boomerang shapted piece of land off Cliff Street, near the Steamtown National Historic Site. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
A UGI site of the former Bridge Street gas plant along the Lackawanna River in Scranton remains under environmental remediation on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. A park would go on the boomerang shapted piece of land off Cliff Street, near the Steamtown National Historic Site. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
A UGI site of the former Bridge Street gas plant along the Lackawanna River in Scranton remains under environmental remediation on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. A park would go on the boomerang shapted piece of land off Cliff Street, near the Steamtown National Historic Site. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
A UGI site of the former Bridge Street gas plant along the Lackawanna River in Scranton remains under environmental remediation on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. A park would go on the boomerang shapted piece of land off Cliff Street, near the Steamtown National Historic Site. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
A UGI site of the former Bridge Street gas plant along the Lackawanna River in Scranton remains under environmental remediation on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. A park would go on the boomerang shapted piece of land off Cliff Street, near the Steamtown National Historic Site. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
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Plans by Scranton and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to build the first pedestrian bridge of the trail in the city over the waterway took another step forward with a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026 to unveil preliminary designs of a span 160-feet long and 8-feet wide. The concept calls for a trail spur at the Seventh Avenue trailhead to go under an existing bridge and then have a new pedestrian bridge go over the river to an area near Cliff Street, where the county plans to create a park on the site of a former gas manufacturing plant that has remediation by UGI Utilities underway. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)