PITTSTON, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Two bridges connecting Pittston to West Pittston are going to look a lot different a few years from now.
Those new changes are set to take shape in the next five or six years. That's when both bridges will be replaced.
"We need to do something that has a nod to at least what was there, but also creates this new jump-off point that somewhere in the future this bridge is going to have historical value," Pittston Mayor Michael Lombardo said.
The Firefighter's Memorial Bridge and the Dale Kridlo Memorial Bridge have connected Pittston to West Pittston for generations.
The bridges have seen a lot in their time, facing the high waters of Hurricane Agnes and other floods head-on.
The Kridlo Bridge, also known as the Fort Jenkins Bridge, is owned by the state.
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The Firefighter's Bridge, also known as the Water Street Bridge, is owned by the county and has been closed since 2021.
The design for the replacement bridge has a completely new look.
"The form of it reflects the form of the river. It reflects the form of the fireman's hose. The color of it allows obviously the red tone is reflective of fire vehicles. It's going to have some color-changing capacity to it. So, you know, at the holidays it can be red and green. On Saint Patrick's Day, it can be green, Fourth of July it's red, white, and blue," Mayor Lombardo explained.
The design sketches from Scranton-based DxDempsey, discussed at the Luzerne County Council work session on August 12. The council is yet to vote on the project.
The new design aims to pay tribute to two local firefighters, one being the mayor's brother.
"There's a personal part of this, and I know the Insalaco family. So, for my brother John and Leonard, who paid the ultimate sacrifice of volunteerism," Mayor Lombardo expressed.
Some local business owners say this is long overdue, but will be helpful in the long run.
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"It seems like there was no attention paid to it until it became a terrible problem. It's definitely going to help the businesses, especially on Luzerne Avenue, because the one bridge being closed right now does take an impact on people taking a direct shot from Pittston to West Pittston. So, we're all looking forward to it," Wiener World employee Tanya Kasper stated.
The mayor says the demolition will start next year for the Water Street Bridge. Demolition for the Jenkins Bridge won't start until the Water Street Bridge is complete.
"There will never be a time when we don't have one bridge in service. The Kridlo Bridge, which is the northmost bridge. The Pittston entrance point of that is actually being moved northerly to align with Mill Street, and that will allow you to start construction on that bridge while the existing bridge remains in operation," explained Mayor Lombardo.
Both are set to be done around 2031. The cost will be roughly $85,000,000.
They'll be paid for through a combination of funds from the county, city, and taxpayer-funded grants. One grant from the federal government totaling around $18,000,000.
