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Part of the closed Firefighters\u2019 Memorial Bridge linking Pittston and West Pittston is expected to be temporarily illuminated Monday evening as Luzerne County tests a color-changing lighting system that may be purchased for the new replacement crossing, officials said.<\/p>\n
Commonly known as the Water Street crossing, the county-owned bridge closed nearly five years ago, in August 2021, due to concerns about a bent eyebar, prompting a dramatic increase in traffic on the nearby state-owned Spc. Dale J. Kridlo Bridge (Fort Jenkins) Bridge.<\/p>\n
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation had agreed to assume responsibility for replacing both spans as part of a bridge bundling project.<\/p>\n
Replacement of the Firefighters\u2019 Memorial Bridge will be completed first and is on schedule to be bid out in October, officials said.<\/p>\n
County Operational Services Project Management Director Nick Vough said color-changing lights were included as an option in the replacement bridge design, but the system must be tested to determine if it is worth keeping in the plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to do our due diligence and see if it looks good,\u201d Vough said.<\/p>\n
The county obtained sample lighting for testing purposes that will be installed on the Pittston end of the span, Vough said. After documenting the effect, Vough said the lighting will be immediately removed and returned to the vendor. The project team will then discuss if the system is worthwhile, he said.<\/p>\n
Vough did not have immediate access to the lighting cost but said it would be a \u201csubstantial\u201d investment.<\/p>\n
When the proposed new bridge design was unveiled last August, officials said new lighting would allow a mix of hundreds of colors controlled by phone, as opposed to the previous system, which had a few color options and required manual switching of gearboxes.<\/p>\n
The bridge colors could be changed for holidays and special events, such as Pittston\u2019s Tomato Festival, officials had said.<\/p>\n
A county release said the lighting testing will start around 8:30 p.m., weather permitting.<\/p>\n
No road closures or traffic disruptions are expected because of the test, it said.<\/p>\n
Much of the new pedestrian-friendly bridge design was guided by the bridge\u2019s official name in honor of two firefighters killed battling a blaze in 1993 \u2014 John Lombardo of Pittston and Leonard Insalaco of West Pittston. It includes fire-engine-red arches with curves meant to resemble a fire hose.<\/p>\n
When the replacement project is ready to proceed, a temporary bridge will be constructed to hold the cranes needed to dismantle and remove the existing span and build piers and beams for the new crossing.<\/p>\n
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