Douglass Township moves ahead on County Line Road bridge replacement, applies for DCED multimodal grant

Douglass Township Manager Andrew Duncan said May 19 that the township is preparing to replace the County Line Road bridge and has authorized applying for Pennsylvania DCED Multimodal Transportation Fund support to cover the remaining 20% of the project’s cost.

“We have applied for a grant,” Manager Andrew Duncan said. He told the Board staff had observed trucks exceeding the posted weight limit on the existing structure, and that easements on all four sides of the bridge are being secured before the project goes to bid. Duncan said the township expects a 90-day demolition and construction period for a three-piece prefabricated bridge replacement.

The Board adopted Resolution No. 05192025-02, authorizing the submission of the grant application. Solicitor Wendy McKenna described the DCED program during the solicitor’s report and the motion passed unanimously (Bergstresser-Aye, Stouch-Aye, Carpenter-Aye).

Duncan said the project’s history includes earlier work that halted in 2015 because of concerns about potential contamination related to Cabot; the Board said the current effort includes planning whether soil remediation will be necessary before construction. The Manager said the township has roughly 80% of funding identified and is seeking the remaining portion from DCED “at no cost to the taxpayers of Douglass Township,” per the solicitor’s earlier summary of the application.

The Board directed continued work on easement acquisition, the bid schedule and grant paperwork. No construction contract had been awarded at the May 19 meeting; the Board set no new weight restrictions for an in-service or reopened structure in the minutes. The Township will retain a Capital Reserve Fund for bridge expenses as announced in the Treasurer’s report.

The Board is expected to place the bridge replacement out to bid once easements, funding and any required environmental measures are clarified.