WEST NANTICOKE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A bridge that connects two communities in NEPA is shut down until further notice.
On March 20, Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo announced the immediate closure of the Broadway Street Bridge.
The bridge connects Nanticoke and West Nanticoke. People 28/22 News spoke with say the closure is inconvenient, and they're concerned about how long it will take to reopen or be replaced.
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The Broadway Street Bridge is closed until further notice after a recent inspection found it was deteriorating.
Luzerne County has been in the process of deciding whether to repair or replace it for years.
A weight limit was even placed on the bridge months prior, impacting area first responders.
"We've been using the south cross valley bridge up the highway from us. Our response time when the bridge was open when we were able to traverse that was around 3 and a half to 4 minutes. Now it's about 7 to 8 minutes," explained Chief Mark Boncal, City of Nanticoke Fire Department.
Chief Boncal says the closure could cause more congestion during rush hour.
Area businesses are concerned about feeling the effects as well.
Stookey's Famous Bar-B-Que is just minutes away from the bridge. Waitress Alexandra Skillens takes the route to work.
"It's really convenient for me, it's like a three-minute drive," said Skillens.
Besides the extra time it will take her to get to work, Skillens says her coworkers and managers are concerned about the impact the closure may have on business.
"Luckily now we're kinda busy, but it'll hurt business a lot because we get a lot of traffic from Nanticoke so I don't think it'll be good," explained Skillens.
Officials have not said how long the bridge will be closed, or what their plans for the structure are.
