Oct 29, 2014 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Greene County received the engineering report on damages to Pollocks Mills Bridge, a section of which collapsed last month when an overweight water tanker truck attempted to cross it.

The 136-year-old bridge, which crosses Ten Mile Creek between Morgan and Jefferson townships, can be repaired, said Jeffrey Marshall, Greene County chief clerk. Repairing the structure “is our intention,” he said.

A section of the bridge collapsed Sept. 28 when a tanker truck carrying water to a natural gas well drilling site attempted to cross it.

The bridge, which has a steel structure and wooden deck, had a posted weight limit of 4 tons; the truck weighed 16.5 tons.

The damage report, prepared for the county by Widmer Engineering Inc., estimates the costs of making repairs at $289,658.80.

The report listed parts that need to be replaced, including metal floor beams, connectors and wood timber decking and stringers, as well as a contingency and inspection costs.

The report was sent to the insurance company of Buccaneer Enterprises Inc. of Buckhannon, W.Va., whose truck caused the damage, Marshall said.

“Our hope is that we get positive feedback from the insurance company so we can proceed with preparing bid specifications and putting it out to bid,” he said.

Marshall noted the county asked the engineer for a rough estimate of the costs of building a new bridge at the same location and the costs exceeded $2 million.

The driver of the truck, Jason W. Strawderman, 38, of Beverly, W.Va., pleaded guilty Oct. 9 before District Judge Lou Dayich to disobeying a traffic control device and operating a vehicle that exceeded the weight restriction. He was fined $10,297.50.

Strawderman was hauling water from the Monongahela River to an EQT well site on Pollocks Mill Road.

He told police his global positioning system led him to the bridge and he did not see the weight restriction signs.

After the rear wheels of his truck went through the wooden deck, Strawderman said, he tried to lighten the load by turning a release valve on the back of the tanker, dumping the water into Ten Mile Creek.

The state Department of Environmental Protection investigated the incident and affirmed water in the tanker was taken from the river and was not waste water from hydraulic fracturing.

It took two days to remove the truck from the bridge and required the use of two heavy-duty tow trucks operating in tandem.

The process also required a temporary gas shut off to about 4,500 customers of the People’s Natural Gas Co. whose gas line crossed the bridge.

The Pollocks Mill Bridge, also known as County Bridge No. 22, was built in 1878 by Massillon Iron Bridge Co.

It is in the style known as a Whipple truss bridge and is among the oldest metal truss bridges in Pennsylvania, according to the website historicbridges.org.