Replacement of the Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge over the Susquehanna River came up during Luzerne County Council’s Strategic Initiatives Committee meeting this week.
Council has identified the county-owned bridge as the highest-priority project to be completed with infrastructure funding the county is slated to receive from casino gambling revenue, although the final decision is subject to change and up to council.
Up to $55 million will be available for county-owned projects, although the net proceeds will depend on interest rates and other costs associated with the borrowing required to yield the up-front cash. A possible receipt around $51 million has been cited at prior council meetings due to rising interest rates.
The strategic committee received a list of prioritized projects totaling $54.9 million that has been compiled by the county engineer’s office.
Construction of a new Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge linking Nanticoke and Plymouth Township topped the list, at an estimated $51 million.
The other proposed allocations, in order of priority, would address the most deteriorated sections of the following roadways, the administration said:
• Main Road in Hunlock and Ross townships, $1 million
• Lower Demunds Road and Upper Demunds Road in Dallas and Franklin townships, $650,000
• Ransom Road in Dallas and Franklin townships, $500,000
• Church Road in Wright Township, $500,000
• Oak Hill Road in Wright Township, $500,000
• Crestwood Drive in Wright Township, $250,000
• Old Airport Road in Butler Township, $250,000
• Hanover Street in Hanover Township, $250,000
Strategic committee Chairman Gregory Wolovich Jr. asked if the Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge must be included.
Andrew Reilly, executive director of the county community development office and redevelopment authority, said the decision is still up to council.
Councilman Kevin Lescavage said he fully supports constructing a new Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge if Houston, Texas-based Nacero Inc. is committed to building a $6 billion manufacturing facility in that area.
However, he questioned the advantage of investing $51 million on the bridge if the Nacero project is not going to materialize, saying council may consider reconfiguring the priority list.
The span was downgraded to a 15-ton weight limit in 2020 due to issues found in an inspection. The county has no funds set aside to cover this expense, and officials have said it would take at least a decade, possibly much longer, for the bridge to receive federal and state funding allocations based on the large number of infrastructure requests. The next inspection may result in lower weight limits and/or a future closure, the county administration has said.
Lescavage said the bridge may last many years at a reduced weight limit for cars only.
The administration said a feasibility study of the bridge must be performed.
Councilman Stephen J. Urban said he has been researching the Nacero project and is “skeptical” it will become a reality due to the cost and regulatory hurdles.
Heralded as the single largest economic investment in county history, the facility near the bridge in Newport Township would create create thousands of jobs and produce clean gasoline made from natural gas and renewable natural gas — not crude oil, officials have said.
“We don’t have any sense of security that this project is going to come to fruition. If it does, it may be five, 10, 12 or 15 years from now,” Urban said.
Urban suggested a progress briefing for council from Nacero, saying the company does not have to reveal sensitive corporate information.
He also questioned who will serve as the “political point person” on the project after state Sen. John Yudichak, I-Swoyersville, leaves office later this year. Yudichak decided earlier this year he will not seek reelection to the state senate due to legislative boundary changes impacting the 14th Senatorial District.
Yudichak, who was not in attendance at the strategic committee meeting, said Thursday that the lion’s share of the South Valley area will be in the 2oth Senatorial District currently held by state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township. Baker is running for reelection against Jaclyn Baker, D-Liberty Township, Susquehanna County, in the November general election.
Yudichak said Baker has been very supportive of the infrastructure program and economic development, and he is confident she will be assuming a leadership liaison role on matters involving the Nacero project.
Regarding the project, Yudichak said there is “a lot of work being done” to advance Nacero’s plans. The company is engaged with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and has started discussions with regulators, he said.
There also was recent discussion about the possibility of seeking a portion of funding that will be available for projects on abandoned mine land to help fund site preparation, he said.
“I’m in constant contact with Nacero, and they are also communicating with municipal and community leaders,” Yudichak said.
A project of this scope is complicated, he said.
“It’s clearly on the right path,” Yudichak said.
While a new Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge would help the Nacero project, Yudichak reiterated replacement of the span must be completed regardless.
The senator said there are several other economic development projects underway in that area, and the bridge also is a crucial connection for emergency services and citizen access to a grocery store, medical services, businesses and the Luzerne County Community College.
He cited a figure of 25,000 to 30,000 people living and working in that part of the county and said residents in the Back Mountain also rely on the bridge for access.
“Many would be dramatically impacted if that bridge closed,” he said.
The infrastructure fund is possible because new state legislation customized solely for the county redirects $3 million annually for 25 years from the casino-gambling Local Share Account (LSA) to create the pot of money. The way it is set up, the county Redevelopment Authority must borrow to create the fund and then repay the debt using the annual $3 million LSA earmark. Council agreed to guarantee the loan because the funding will be used for county-owned projects.