If you’ve ever wondered how a local bridge gets added to the list for state funding for repair or replacement, it’s through an ongoing series of extensions of Pennsylvania’s bridge bill. State lawmakers are urging townships, borough, and county commissioners to submit their bridge rehabilitation and replacement projects for inclusion in the fourteenth version of the bill.
Bridge Bill #1 was passed in 1982. Officially known as the “Highway-Railroad and Highway Bridge Capital Budget Act”, Bridge Bill #14 is now pending.
Representative Chris Dush, whose 66th District includes a portion of Indiana County, says “The best thing about (it) is that the funding is already available.” He says the “Common Sense Caucus” of which he is a member found “a significant portion of available revenue…squirrelled away in hidden special funding accounts” and he wants to give that money to local communities.
The deadline for municipalities and counties to file an application for Bridge Bill #14 is April 26th.
