Dec 2, 2015 2 min read

MATHER – Crews are trying to salvage parts from the collapsed Pollocks Mill Bridge, which is slowing the reconstruction process but is expected to save the county money.

Greene County Chief Clerk Jeff Marshall said crews are still waiting for more parts to be fabricated and other supplies to arrive, but they have removed damaged wood and metal from the 137-year-old span, which partially collapsed in September 2014 when an overweight tanker attempted to cross.

Marshall said workers were able to salvage various parts, but they must first be inspected to ensure they are safe and can be reinstalled.

Reusing those parts could save about $30,000 on the project, Marshall said.

“It was a cost savings to use some of those parts,” Marshall said. “But we had to make sure there weren’t hairline fractures.”

Construction began in September and was expected to take one or two months.

Marshall now said the bridge will not reopen until later this month or January, “before the hard winter sets in.”

The bridge near Mather crosses Ten Mile Creek between Morgan and Jefferson townships.

Greene County commissioners voted in mid-July to pay $395,630 to Carmen Paliotta of South Park to repair the bridge, which was about $100,000 more than original engineering estimates.

The sum was about $150,000 more than what the county received from a settlement with the trucking company responsible for the damage.

EQT gave $75,000 to the county to help bridge the gap between the settlement and construction costs. The county is using Act 13 drilling money for the remaining total.