Erie dedicates $2.6 million Cochua Bridge, adds sidewalks and bike access

City of Erie officials and residents dedicated the new Cochua Bridge at a ceremony marking the completion of a $2,600,000 replacement for a span that had served the neighborhood since 1920.

Mayor (name not specified) opened the dedication, calling the completed project “incredible” and noting the work followed several years of planning and public input. “This $2,600,000 project to replace the crumbling Cochua Bridge was a long time coming, a little almost 4 years,” the mayor said.

The city said the former Cochua Bridge, built in 1920, served pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular traffic for 101 years before being demolished in October 2021 after being determined structurally unsound. A city neighborhood survey found 55% of nearby residents wanted the bridge replaced with enhanced sidewalks, 38% preferred a pedestrian-only structure and 7% opposed replacing the bridge.

Jason Sayers, the city’s director of public works, said the new structure is a two-lane bridge with dual sidewalks and bicycle accommodations. “The new Cochua Bridge is a 2 lane dual sidewalk, cyclist and pedestrian friendly bridge. Its concrete bulb T beam construction has a 40 foot width and a 119 foot span,” Sayers said. By contrast, the former bridge was a single-span reinforced-concrete closed-spandrel arch with an approximate 26-foot span and a 57-foot arch barrel length, city staff said.

Sayers credited Act 89 of 2013 for enabling the funding mechanism used on the project. “This act enabled Pennsylvania counties to levy a $5 local use fee on vehicle registrations. Erie County enacted this fee, and the funds are used exclusively for the repair or replacement of structurally unsound local bridges,” he said.

City officials acknowledged multiple partner agencies and contractors involved in planning and construction, including the Erie Metropolitan Planning Organization (Erie MPO), PennDOT (with district executive Brian McNulty present), the Erie Western Pennsylvania Port Authority, Erie Water Works, Shivers Construction, TransSystems, Urban Engineers and the City Engineer’s Office. John Shivers of Shivers Construction, Deanna Fleming of TransSystems and others were named at the ceremony.

Resident volunteer Roger Richards, who said he had been involved with the project since early 2021, praised the coordination among city staff, county and state entities and neighborhood contributors. “As a citizen, as a volunteer, you look at the activity and the commitment of our elected and appointed officials,” Richards said, adding that the McDonald family’s donation helped bring the project to conclusion; the city dedicated four memorial plaques to Desmond McDonald at the site.

The city also announced a related construction step: in September, in partnership with the Erie Port Authority, the city will pave Ravine Drive on both sides of the bridge.

Officials invited current and former city employees, elected representatives, partner-agency staff and neighborhood residents to a ribbon-cutting at the dedication before opening the bridge to public use.