TREMONT - The Union Street bridge, closed for repairs since the first week of December, could reopen in February.
Work on the bridge was mostly completed early last week, Gerald Fasnacht, borough councilman and code enforcement officer, said Friday. He said the borough is waiting for engineering firm Light-Heigel & Associates Inc., Schuylkill Haven, to evaluate how much weight the bridge can bear.
On Friday, Thomas Schreffler, P.E. with Light-Heigel & Associates, said a load-bearing capacity evaluation must be completed.
A computer program does those calculations, he said. When that is finished, a bridge inspector from the state Department of Transportation will have to visit the structure and agree with the engineering firm's conclusions.
Schreffler said the bridge opening in February was a "distinct possibility."
In December, borough council President Bob Donmoyer said the bridge would support 15 tons when completed, enough for school buses and emergency vehicles.
"That was our hope when we did the bridge," Fasnacht said.
PennDOT closed the bridge in 2004 because it was not suitable for use. Moreover, the creek was eroding the bridge.
The recent renovations involved installing a concrete scour wall along the bottom of the bridge on the north face and concrete columns supporting the 24 beams under the bridge. Steel beams were also repaired or replaced.
Fasnacht said the final cost is not yet available.
"It's going to be in the $30,000 range," he said.
The bridge will help reduce traffic on borough roads that are not designed to carry such heavy volumes of traffic due to the road being closed.