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<p>The high-traffic Oxford Street Bridge in Hanover Township has been brought up to safety standards, Luzerne County Manager C. David Pedri said during an update on county-owned infrastructure.</p><p>&#8220;This is an extremely busy bridge and was now fixed in order to accommodate the traffic,&#8221; Pedri said in the presentation, which was part of his &#8220;state of the county&#8221; briefing to county council.</p><p>Several citizens had complained about the deteriorating condition of the 60-foot span over Solomon Creek in 2017, saying it has been taking more of a beating from increased traffic since the nearby Division Street Bridge was demolished in 2014 after partially collapsing into the creek.</p><p>Built in 1950, the Oxford Street Bridge&#8217;s railing and sidewalk were flagged in a state inspection last year as &#8220;priority zero&#8221; safety hazards that had to be promptly addressed, said county engineer Lawrence Plesh. The inspection concluded sidewalk settling had created a trip hazard, and the steel railing was loose, he said.</p><p>When that work was underway last year, the county administration decided it did not want to hold off on additional repairs of the concrete and other bridge components, Plesh said.</p><p>Bill Anskis Co., of Elysburg, completed the entire project for $184,000. It was covered by state Act 44 funding, which means $400,000 in county community development infrastructure funds awarded for the Oxford Street Bridge can be allocated for a different project, Plesh said.</p><p>The county has earmarked $1.675 million in community development funding to construct a new Division Street bridge, also over Solomon Creek, in Hanover Township and Wilkes-Barre. The new bridge should be completed within two years, Pedri said last September.</p><p>In addition to Oxford Street, two other bridges were rehabilitated in 2018 &#8212; the Tower Road Bridge in Black Creek Township and Baer Road Bridge in Union Township, Pedri said, showing before-and-after photographs that have been posted in his report at <a href="https://www.luzernecounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/15548/2019-State-of-the-County" target="_blank">www.luzernecounty.org</a>.</p><p>The cost was $230,000 for Tower Road and $311,000 for Baer Road. Both projects were covered by state Act 89 bridge funding, which must be spent on distressed spans, Plesh said.</p><p>Before the work, the Tower Road Bridge was &#8220;a complete disaster,&#8221; Pedri said.</p><p>&#8220;Now it&#8217;s a free-standing bridge that will be safe for residents for decades to come,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Pedri also highlighted 2018 paving projects on Hillside Road in Jackson Township and Main Road in Sweet Valley.</p><p><strong>2019 plans</strong></p><p>A major project this year will be the $1.4 million reconstruction of Chase Road in Jackson Township, Pedri said.</p><p>&#8220;It has been a consistent topic,&#8221; Pedri said, referring to frequent citizen complaints over the road&#8217;s deteriorated condition.</p><p>County officials had worked with the state Department of Transportation to advance the project for three years. The state will fund 80 percent of the work, which will be completed by Back Mountain-based American Asphalt, officials said.</p><p>The project will include new piping, rock outfalls and guiderails.</p><p>Another major 2019 project will be the full-depth reclamation of a county-owned road that includes Foothills Drive in Butler Township and continues through Conyngham borough and Sugarloaf Township, Pedri said.</p><p>These projects are estimated at more than $2 million, he said.</p><p>The county has tentative agreements with all three municipalities to assume ownership of the infrastructure when it is completed, which is part of a goal to shed county-owned infrastructure, he said.</p><p>&#8220;That means Luzerne County&#8217;s roads will be lowered by seven miles, which is a huge accomplishment,&#8221; he said. &#8220;If we continually try to lower that down, we&#8217;ll be able to fully take care of all projects moving forward.&#8221;</p><p>Black Creek Township also has accepted ownership of the Tower Road Bridge, he said.</p><p>The county has around 300 bridges and 125 miles of roads scattered throughout the county, much falling in rural areas. Most of the infrastructure was placed in county ownership during the Great Depression, officials have said.</p><p>Pedri told council he plans to step up public information about road and bridge projects and will be posting a report of planned work on the <a href="https://www.luzernecounty.org/187/Road-Bridge" target="_blank">county website</a>.</p><p>&#8220;This is obviously something that affects a community every single day,&#8221; he said of infrastructure problems.</p><p>The county&#8217;s new $5 vehicle registration fee also took effect last month and is expected to generate $1.4 million annually for road and bridge upkeep, not including a state match of up to $2 million the first year. Council added a provision to automatically end the fee if the state is no longer providing a funding match.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Contractors have finished installing new sidewalks and railing and completed other work on the busy Oxford Street Bridge in Hanover Township, which is owned by Luzerne County. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_oxfordbridge.jpg</photo0><caption0>Contractors have finished installing new sidewalks and railing and completed other work on the busy Oxford Street Bridge in Hanover Township, which is owned by Luzerne County. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Completion of Oxford St. span highlights report</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Completion of Oxford Street Bridge repairs highlighted in Luzerne County infrastructure update