More commonly known as the Water Street Crossing, the bridge was closed in 2021 because of a bent eye bar. Traffic shunted to the nearby state-owned Sgt. Dale J. Kridlo Bridge, causing predictable congestion.<\/p>\n
After a good bit of debate, the state Department of Transportation agreed to assume responsibility for replacing both bridges. The closed bridge \u2014 logically \u2014 comes first, with plans to put it out to bid this October.<\/p>\n
We applaud the county for thinking ahead and testing new lighting options this far in advance. But we feel this moment recalls two other, older issues that have never been fully addressed, primarily due to cost.<\/p>\n
One is the disposition or re-purposing of old bridges that are not replaced. While not applicable here, the county has a history of letting old bridges that have outlived their usefulness fall into disrepair for too long, creating a hazard and escalating costs once they are finally addressed.<\/p>\n
To its credit, we believe the county administration has been doing a much better job of staying on top of infrastructure demands in recent years than in the more distant past. The due diligence regarding these two links between Pittston and West Pittston bolsters that impression.<\/p>\n
But the fact remains that too many bridges were neglected for too long, and there isn\u2019t enough money to handle them all at once \u2014 even if that were possible. Continued diligence will be required for many years to come.<\/p>\n
Two other issues come to mind: repurposing old bridges rather than demolishing them, and lighting the Market Street Bridge in Wilkes-Barre.<\/p>\n
Regarding the first, the money never seems to be available to save old bridges and convert them into pedestrian-only structures, a move that can work nicely, as demonstrated by a bridge that connected Harrisburg with City Island. Such projects are worth exploring because they can add real value as pedestrian-safe connections between communities and as functional spaces suitable for events in their own right.<\/p>\n
Regarding the latter, we recount a longstanding wish expressed by Wilkes-Barre City Councilman Tony Brooks, who has spent many years working to spread and preserve the area\u2019s history. On occasion, Brooks notes that the Market Street Bridge was patterned after the Pont Alexandre III in France and admits he\u2019d like to see it \u201cbathed in architectural light,\u201d as the French span is lit.<\/p>\n
The brief testing of new lights on the Pittston\/West Pittston bridge is a reminder of how well-designed architectural lighting can improve the aesthetics of bridges, and we hope it prompts another look at Brooks\u2019 dream.<\/p>\n
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