Luzerne County Council is in the process of ranking the top three prospective engineering design firms for the Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge replacement project, according to a Wednesday update from county Manager Romilda Crocamo.
Council members heard presentations from all three on June 26.
County administrators and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 4 representatives also attended these interview sessions, Crocamo said.
Once council ranks the firms, that information will be sent to PennDOT’s Central Office for review and approval, she said.
“All information must remain confidential until Central Offices approves. If any of the information presented is made public, the entire process for selecting a design firm must start at the beginning,” her update said.
Council had planned to hold a public interview session but was informed the applicant interviews cannot be public under PennDOT regulations, officials had said.
Crocamo had closed the county-owned bridge over the Susquehanna River on March 20 after engineers performing an inspection found further deterioration and section loss of primary, load-carrying components.
Council allowed a county administration team to review the statements of qualifications from all five engineering firm respondents and recommend the top three to council, which will make the final selection.
In addition to $10 million in federal funding allocated through the state for this project, the county has access to a $55 million casino gambling fund established for county infrastructure.
Because federal funding is involved, the county must select an engineer to develop three options for the bridge.
Since the bridge closing, the alternate route has been the state Route 29/South Cross Valley Expressway crossing, officially called the John S. Fine Bridge.
Totaling 2,072 feet, the bridge connects Nanticoke and the West Nanticoke section of Plymouth Township. The crossing was constructed in 1914 and last rehabilitated in 1987.