Peters Township Council unanimously approved a resolution Monday night authorizing submission of a grant application for the Sugar Camp Trail Bridge Project.
The grant application will go to the state's Local Share Account which disburses a share of gaming revenues to help fund community projects, improvements and organizations.
Township Engineer Mark Zemaitis says the bridge is old and needs to replaced.
"It's the same type of bridge that was built around the same time as the Bebout Road one by the same railroad company. They are bridges that the township inherited when it bought the Arrowhead Trail property back in the 1980s. They've reached their useful lifespan and we're just trying to plan ahead for replacements," he said.
The estimated construction cost is $1,056,199. The township is seeking half of the money in the grant request.
Other News From the Meeting:
- Township Council also passed a resolution supporting an application of the Peters Creek Sanitary Authority for a Local Share Account Grant for the Venetia and Bower Hill Road Sewer Capacity Project.
- Council approved requests by the Peters Township High School cheerleaders to place signs around the township advertising their pancake breakfast on Nov. 17 and permitted the Peters Township High School Thespians Troop to place signs on Arrowhead Trail Bridge announcing their upcoming plays.
I expect the completed project to look much like the new Bebout Road bridge. Possibly wider at the trail level. The McMurray Road bridge is much nicer at trail level. The point is the demolition phase of the existing Sugarcamp bridge would very likely vastly widen the road area, eliminating the side-to-side choke point for the foreseeable future, and allowing the road to be re-aligned for safe navigation at the NTSB 85th percentile speed. It is something that responsibly managed communities take care of before outdated infrastructure generates a crisis.