Tarentum officials fear a small bridge near Mill Street has become a big safety problem, especially for pedestrians.
Visible rebar and crumbling concrete dot the West Seventh Avenue Bridge, a 40-foot span that connects the east and west sides of town.
PennDOT has deemed the span, owned by the state, as structurally sound.
“The bridge has been a longstanding concern,” Manager Dwight Boddorf said. “We have advocated for years for the state to address the conditions and have raised repeated safety concerns.”
In recent weeks, officials submitted a formal request for PennDOT to inspect the bridge sidewalks, one of which is closed.
The other, which provides the only safe pedestrian crossing between West Tarentum and Highlands Elementary School, is showing signs of degradation, Boddorf said.
PennDOT Spokesman Steve Cowan was not immediately available for comment.
The bridge, built in 1895, was last overhauled in 1970, according to the website historicbridges.org. It has received limited maintenance since.
A few years ago, PennDOT removed one of the sidewalks and replaced it with a makeshift path hemmed by orange barriers. It has remained that way pretty much since.
State Rep. Mandy Steele, D-Fox Chapel, toured the area last week with borough leaders. She vowed to push PennDOT for a plan.
“It’s certainly not sound from a pedestrian standpoint, and kids use this bridge to get to school,” Steele said in a Facebook post. “The bridge is clearly deteriorating. But bridge issues can take a while.”
Social media users blasted the span’s poor condition, saying the orange barriers have become regular fixtures.
“They’ve been working on that bridge my whole life,” one person wrote in the Facebook comments.
“It’s been years since those barriers went up,” another said.
Others weighed in, saying the walkway needs a total redesign, one that separates and better protects people from the flow of traffic.
Tarentum Councilwoman Carrie Fox said the borough deserves answers from PennDOT.
“I realize funding is tight, but a plan should have been scheduled when the sidewalk was replaced with the orange barriers,” she said.
Fox said she went so far as contacting Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office.
“The answer is no money, the bridge is not on the radar,” she said.
Boddorf said borough leaders understand and share residents’ frustration.
“Meaningful progress will require state-level action and funding, which is why continued advocacy is important,” he said.
The bridge is scheduled for regular inspection in March. Fox is hoping the evaluation prompts a new safety rating that would get PennDOT’s attention.
A cost for the upgrades is not clear.
“It’s very frustrating because it’s been forgotten,” Fox said. “It’s been put on the back burner way too long.”