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Mayor seeks $650,000 multimodal grant for Empire and McLean Street bridge repairs; North Washington bridge to be bid in 2027
Summary
The mayor announced a resolution authorizing officials to apply for a $650,000 multimodal transportation grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority for Empire/McLean Street bridge repairs and provided an update that the North Washington Street Bridge right-of-way is approved and the project is scheduled to be bid in 2027. The transcript does not include a final vote on the grant resolution.
The mayor announced that city officials will be authorized to submit a $650,000 multimodal transportation fund grant application to the Commonwealth Financing Authority to support the Empire Street and McLean Street bridge rehabilitation project.
The grant proposal, the mayor said, is intended to cover repair work on bridge decking and related structural needs, though replacement work may still be required depending on final engineering assessments. “We have 1 resolution tonight before council, authorizing the proper city officials to submit a $650,000 multimodal transportation fund grant application funded by the Commonwealth Financing Authority of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” the mayor said.
Why it matters: such grants enable the city to leverage federal and state programs to pay for capital repairs. The mayor noted the broader funding context in the later bridge update: the North Washington Street Bridge project is largely federally funded, with the mayor stating the typical split is roughly 90% federal, 5% state and 5% city for projects handled through PennDOT’s processes.
In a subsequent presentation, the mayor said the right-of-way plan for the North Washington Street Bridge has been approved at both federal and state levels and that five privately owned properties are affected. ‘‘PennDOT has met with the five property owners regarding how the bridge project will impact their properties,’’ the mayor said, and the agency has completed appraisals and is issuing initial acquisition offers. Engineering and structural design plans have been submitted to PennDOT; the mayor said the project is scheduled to be bid in 2027.
Action on the grant resolution was described but not recorded in the provided transcript excerpt: the mayor introduced the resolution authorizing submission of the application, but no motion, second or vote tally appears in the available segments. The resolution text as announced: authorizing the proper city officials to submit a $650,000 multimodal transportation fund grant application to the Commonwealth Financing Authority for Empire Street/McLean Street bridge rehabilitation (motion text not otherwise specified in the excerpt).
Officials emphasized the federal role in acquisitions and project limits. The mayor cautioned that federal and state processes impose constraints on timing and property acquisition, noting PennDOT’s lead role on right-of-way negotiations. The mayor also told council members that the right-of-way plan must be completed before construction can proceed.
Next steps: based on the mayor’s update, PennDOT will continue owner outreach and issue acquisition offers; engineering approvals are pending final PennDOT sign-off; the city’s next procedural steps include submission of the grant application and awaiting any further council action. The transcript excerpt does not record a final council vote or approval on the grant application.
