October 19, 2023
Bridging the Gap: Repairing Our Infrastructure
The importance of well-maintained infrastructure cannot be overstated, as even a single bridge outage can have far-reaching impacts on communities. In response to the dire state of Pennsylvania's infrastructure, Rep. Fink invited the PA House Republican Policy Committee to Chanceford Township to engage with local constituents and PennDOT officials about the longstanding disrepair of the Lucky Rd. Bridge, a vital artery that has been in disrepair since torrential flooding in 2018. Due to the tireless efforts of local residents, the advocacy of Rep. Fink, and the attention of the Policy Committee, the Lucky Road Bridge is now slated to be rebuilt ahead of schedule and open by 2027, marking a significant investment to meet the urgent needs of the community.
The testifiers that joined the Policy Committee were as follows:
Local Perspectives Panel
Kent Heffner - Supervisor, Chanceford Township
Laura Taylor - Chief, Southern York County EMS
Tammy Gemmill - Resident on Lucky Rd
Gay Barbour - Resident on Lucky Rd
Questions for Local Perspectives Panel
PennDOT Panel
Richard Reisinger, PE. - Acting District Executive for District 8, PennDOT
Richard W. Runyen, PE. - Director of the Bridge Bureau, PennDOT
Questions for PennDOT Panel
Kent Heffner, Supervisor of Chanceford Township, brought his perspective as a leader in local government and knowledge of the area’s infrastructure to the day’s hearing. Mr. Heffner highlighted that the Lucky Road Bridge, first constructed in the 1930s, was last maintained by PennDOT approximately a decade ago. The closure of the bridge in 2019 stemmed from a once-in-100-year storm in 2018 that caused $2.7 million in damage within Chanceford Township. This storm significantly impacted local residents, four bridges were made unusable within a 3-mile radius, and now residents face a 10-minute detour to get across a small stream. The absence of the bridge also affects the local Amish community, farmers, and school bus routes, raising concerns about safety and the cost of deferring maintenance due to decreasing state fuel tax revenue. Mr. Heffner has advocated on behalf of his community to have PennDOT fix these bridges, as the local government does not have nearly enough within its budget to cover the costs of repair, but has continuously hit roadblocks in his path to rectify this issue.
“There are A LOT of bridges out right now.”
Kent Heffner
Supervisor, Chanceford Township |
Laura Taylor, Chief of Southern York County EMS, brought the perspective of first responders to the conversation. Mrs. Taylor emphasized that
the bridge's unavailability adds 5-7 minutes to EMS response times, with delays being even greater for responders unfamiliar with the area. There have been instances of mutual aid ambulances experiencing a 51-minute delay in their response time due to a lack of a clear route and unfamiliarity with the multiple bridge outages in the area. One would think that after five years, common GPS apps would update their data on bridge usability, but GPS navigation often doesn't account for bridge outages, leading to further delays and confusion. The concerns Mrs. Taylor shared for EMS response are equally true for fire departments and our police, with fire departments also needing to consider water access and how they will navigate their large vehicles through poorly maintained secondary roads.
“Minutes matter for fires and emergencies.”
Laura Taylor
Chief, Southern York County EMS |
Tammy Gemmill, a resident of Lucky Rd. who can view the Lucky Road Bridge from her front door, expressed frustration with the lack of attention and aid her community has received. She noted that the bridge does not appear to be a priority for PennDOT, as the barricades around the bridge have not been maintained since they were installed in 2019. The lighting of the barricades has long been out-of-service, the barricades have fallen into the road, and public safety is put at risk. The absence of the bridge has also resulted in reduced maintenance of Lucky Rd., exacerbating the maintenance costs for the entire area. In short, Mrs. Gemmill believes that as a street full of lifelong taxpayers, the residents of Lucky Road deserve to have full usability of their roadway.
“We, as taxpayers, can’t use our own road!”
Tammy Gemmill
Resident on Lucky Rd. |
Gay Barbour, another multi-decade resident of Lucky Road, shared her personal concerns as a mother and older Pennsylvanian. Mrs. Barbour pointed out the challenges faced by the ~50 families residing on Lucky Rd., with older residents concerned about EMS response times and younger residents facing extended commutes. It may just be one road, but there are many homes and families that rely on the bridge for their day-to-day travels and peace-of-mind. The absence of the bridge has forced residents to spend extra time and money to avoid the crossing, contributing to significant costs for the community that are not considered within PennDOT’s maintenance metrics. The prioritization of bridges and roads by PennDOT remains a source of confusion for many residents, as homeowners like Mrs. Barbour have no idea when their roads or bridges will be fixed or maintained. She, and the other residents of Lucky Road, have been waiting in limbo for years now.
“You can shut down bridges to fix them, but you can’t do anything for ours?”
Gay Barbour
Resident on Lucky Rd. |
Richard Reisinger, PE., Acting District Executive for PennDOT’s District 8, provided much needed insight, answers, and plans to the Policy Committee and the many local aggrieved residents that packed the community center. Mr. Reisinger highlighted that York County has numerous local bridges closed, along with many state bridges either not in use or operating with restrictions. Currently within York County 6 highway bridges are closed to all traffic, 1 bridge is being converted to pedestrian use only, and 9 bridges have some level of restrictions in place. This reality does not excuse the status of Lucky Road Bridge, but gives perspective on the troubling nature of Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and the dire need for maintenance throughout the state. Essentially, the experiences of the residents of Lucky Road are not unique and occur throughout the state.
Mr. Reisinger explained that PennDOT assesses "bridge risk" based on various factors, including bridge size, daily traffic, weight, detour length, and truck traffic. With this being said, it was found that in most circumstances the length of the detour is not the primary concern for residents, but more so the additional time of the detour is of greater importance. PennDOT does not currently consider time as a factor within their metrics but told the Policy Committee that greater emphasis on detour time would be considered in future metrics.
Why has the Lucky Road Bridge outage not been declared an emergency like other bridge outages in PA? Emergency declarations, like the one for the I-95 bridge, are not comparable to local bridge outages as the amount of traffic, lack of alternatives, and supply chain importance differ greatly between interstate bridges and local bridges. The Governor is well within his power to declare every bridge outage in Pennsylvania to be an emergency, streamline permitting, and waive certain regulations, but the financing to fix every bridge in the Commonwealth is simply not there.
The cost to build and maintain modern infrastructure is often inconceivable to the average resident, but the financial figures are truly astounding and must be considered. Mr. Reisinger noted that engineering design costs typically account for about 20% of the total bridge cost, and with the full replacement and modernization of the Lucky Road bridge assessed at $2 million the cost of engineering alone is expected to be $400,000. The cost is steep, but the new Lucky Road Bridge will be built to the highest of standards and will be able to support all manner of vehicles. Knowing that the bridge will be used by heavy trucks and farm equipment the engineers will plan for a strong bridge that should last for generations to come.
“It’s all a balancing act of where we can use certain funds.”
Richard Reisinger, PE.
Acting District Executive for District 8, PennDOT |
Richard Runyen, PE. and Director of the Bridge Bureau for PennDOT, expanded upon Mr. Reisinger’s comments. He first stressed that PennDOT is not the sole determiner of road maintenance, and in fact PennDOT's priorities are strongly influenced by Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs). MPOs play a significant role in infrastructure plans, and direct PennDOT on what local infrastructure priorities should be. Just as residents reach out to PennDOT when they have infrastructure suggestions to share, they should also contact their local MPO to draw attention to their concerns.
When it comes to prioritizing maintenance throughout the state immediate attention is given if residents or businesses risk becoming "landlocked" due to road or bridge closures. Total landlocking of properties is a real possibility considering the hills, valleys, and waterways of Pennsylvania, and PennDOT recognizing the massive financial and health liabilities of such incidents. If alternative routes exist, as in the case of Lucky Road Bridge, then maintenance plans are delayed.
When it comes to bridge repair the options are often all or nothing. There are limited means to “temporarily fix” a bridge for vehicular use, and nearly all bridges must be rebuilt using the most modern safety standards regardless of the previous condition of the bridge. Temporary bridges do exist, and are primarily used by our military, but are exceedingly unaffordable as the rental cost is $200,000 for installation and $10,000 per month in rental costs. It is nearly always easier and more cost effective to wait for the available funds to fix a bridge in its entirety than it is to apply a temporary fix.
The funding for road maintenance and repairs stems from allocations from a combination of the Federal government and the Pennsylvania fuel tax. With vehicles increasing in fuel efficiency, and a larger number of electric vehicles on our roads, the proceeds of the fuel tax are falling with each passing year. These fuel taxes are dispersed to both PennDOT and local governments, but with less money to work with each year projects get delayed, and maintenance gets deferred. The financial and workforce means of the state and our local communities must be weighed against the priorities of our local communities and infrastructure.
“Projects are planned based on appropriations.”
Richard Runyen, PE.
Director of the Bridge Bureau, PennDOT |
The day’s hearing concluded with a bittersweet feeling amongst the audience. All were pleased to hear that a plan was in place to fix the Lucky Road Bridge, but another three years without a usable bridge was longer than many residents would prefer. Ideally, the bridge would be fixed immediately, but the permitting, engineering, and organizing of a workforce and materials is not a process that can be rushed. The Policy Committee drew attention to a small community, but the day’s hearing uncovered the urgent need to address Pennsylvania's failing infrastructure, including its bridges and roads, which profoundly impact our local communities, businesses, and emergency response efforts. The Policy Committee learned of the metrics used to plan maintenance and address infrastructure failures, as well as how the efficient allocation of our resources must be prioritized to ensure the safety, well-being, and economic stability of the state's residents. The forthcoming reconstruction of the Lucky Rd. Bridge serves as an example of how community advocacy, public officials, and state action can bridge the gap in repairing our vital infrastructure.