A feasibility study is underway to determine the best course of action for converting a defunct railroad trestle into an emergency access bridge connecting industrial parks in Leetsdale and Ambridge.
The study is expected to take about six months, with a report forthcoming by the end of the year.
The new bridge would provide an evacuation route for more than 200 residents from 60 households along Washington Street in Leetsdale and for about 6,000 combined industrial park employees in the event of a major industrial or railroad disaster.
Leetsdale council voted 6-0 on May 14 to award the estimated $139,000 study to Remington & Vernick Engineers.
Councilman Robert Benedict was absent. Council was also considering working with LSSE Engineers.
Borough engineer Dan Slagle said both firms were highly qualified.
However, he lobbied for council to select Remington, claiming the firm had more depth and would provide a more thorough report for the money. The study is being covered by a state Local Share Account grant.
“The question becomes, ‘How much each firm can accomplish for that amount,’” Slagle said on May 14. “The idea is to get enough information so that we could file for a subsequent grant for construction in the amount somewhere between $2 million and $5 million based on the estimate that the engineering firm puts together.”
Council president Maria Napolitano, who was involved in the selection process and interviewed officials from both firms, agreed with Slagle’s assessment.
“We hired a reputable, regional firm,” Napoltano said. “Bridges are their specialty.”
Information obtained through the study is expected to include identifying ownership of the property where the bridge is and evaluating the structure.
The study will also help define the projected width of the new bridge and construction material options.
Slagle said he has kept Ambridge officials abreast of the situation, but they were not needed to move forward with the study.
“We will need Ambridge’s help when we go after the big bucks,” Slagle said. “This multi-municipal project will benefit both municipalities by providing emergency access to both industrial parks.”
Along with the feasibility study, a hazardous materials investigation to see if there are any contaminants such as lead, asbestos, creosote and propose mitigation strategies would need to take place before construction.
“Right now, I just want to see what the study shows because this is very exciting — that we actually found somebody who can stay within our budget,” Napolitano said. “We’re looking to do it all fully from grant funds.
“From talking to both companies that interviewed with us, I walked away with a feeling that the whole project with the building is actually possible.”
Officials first began looking into the bridge project following an emergency more than a decade ago.
A five-alarm fire in the Leetsdale Industrial Park in November 2015 caused multiple evacuations. Awad was among those evacuated.
Quaker Valley School District evacuated administrators from offices in the industrial park to the high school, where after-school activities were canceled.
A building owned by Lubrizol Corp., an oilfield chemicals business, was heavily damaged by an explosion and fire that quickly spread to another building.
Eight people, including firefighters, were treated for minor injuries.
The train derailment along Norfolk Southern rail lines in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, 2023, also prompted more discussions about how to prepare for a major incident.