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It takes less time for Bridget Perlowski to get to her bus stop now that the Division Street bridge is open.
				Perlowski crossed the new span for the first time Thursday minutes after the official ribbon cutting.
				&ldquo;It was great. I have a cane, you know. It&rsquo;s easier going this way now instead of walking all the way around, &rdquo; Perlowski said, referring to the longer route from her home on Dexter Street in Hanover Township over the Oxford Street bridge to the bus stop on Carey Avenue in Wilkes-Barre.
				&ldquo;Now I can just walk over,&rdquo; Perlowski said.
				For nearly 10 years countless others spent additional time and put more miles on their soles and vehicles due to the detour resulting from the closing and eventual demolition of the Division Street bridge on the border of the township and Wilkes-Barre. Part of it collapsed into Solomon Creek, leading to the removal in 2014 of what remained.
				Traffic congestion, drivers seeking to avoid it with shortcuts through side streets and an emergency route blocked led city, township and Luzerne County officials to undertake some bridge building between themselves in order to resolve the problem.
				&ldquo;This project is the culmination of several governmental units working cohesively for the completion of a common mission,&rdquo; Sam Guesto, Hanover Township Manager, said from the middle of the bridge during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
				The county provided $1.675 million from a community development business loan fund. Construction began last year. The township agreed to take ownership of the bridge and share maintenance and repair expenses with the city.
				County Manager C. David Pedri lauded the cooperation and the results. He said he often hears people asking what the government is doing other than the &ldquo;same old, same old.&rdquo;
				&ldquo;Well you know what, get the right people in the room, get the right people with the motivation to help the citizens of Luzerne County and things can happen,&rdquo; Pedri said.
				Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown added that he looked forward to more cooperative efforts.
				&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t wait to continue working together because when we work together we&rsquo;re strong, a strong team,&rdquo; Brown said.
				The mayor offered a historical context for the necessity of the bridge.
				&ldquo;Back in 2011 we had a flood scare and we put down the barricades on the other bridges, &ldquo;Brown said. &ldquo;This was the thoroughfare where people tried to get out and get to safety. We have that thoroughfare open again.&rdquo;
				State Sen. John Yudichak, I-Swoyersville, congratulated the project&rsquo;s participants. He noted that the new bridge contains a piece of the old one, a cornerstone plaque from the Works Progress Administration created by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
				&ldquo;My grandfather, an anthracite miner, worked on the WPA when jobs in the mines grew scarce in the early 1940s. The WPA served as a bridge from abject poverty to economic stability for many families, including my own family. I deeply appreciate that we were able to save that important piece of our region&rsquo;s history,&rdquo; Yudichak said.
				Before the ribbon was cut and vehicular traffic allowed on the bridge the Rev. Richard Cirba of St. Robert Bellarmine Parish and Exaltation of the Holy Cross Church blessed it with a prayer and holy water.

Bridge building between governments leads to new Division Street span