Baker, Boback Secure $1 million grant for Tunkhannock Township Bridge

HARRISBURG – A building project in Tunkhannock Township has been awarded funding through the Multimodal Transportation Fund by the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) at its meeting today, according to Sen. Lisa Baker (R-20) and Rep. Karen Boback (R-117), who worked together to secure the grant.

Tunkhannock Township was awarded $1,000,000 for the replacement of Fox Road Bridge over the south branch of Tunkhannock Creek, a critical access road to PA Route 6. Improvements include the total removal of the existing bridge and replacing it with a new, reinforced concrete bridge. The renovated bridge will have a full H-25 load rating with no weight restrictions.

“This is a great thing for us,” said Ace Shupp, Tunkhannock Township supervisor. “That bridge has been repaired and repaired and repaired. It has been a long time and we are so thankful for this grant.”

Shupp noted that a school bus goes over the 98-foot-span twice a day and there was always concern as the weight limit has been lowered over the years from 40 tons to 10.

“A modern, reliable, and safe bridge without emergency restrictions is important to businesses that rely on trucks for shipping materials and products, to school districts that bus children to and from classes every day, and for the motorist traffic for which this represents critical access,” Senator Baker said. “Given the severity of the storms that have hit our region in recent years, it is reassuring to have a dependable structure that will not fail in emergency situations.”

“Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our friends and neighbors is our number one priority,” Representative Boback said. “I am very pleased to have supported this grant, which will go toward replacing this critical piece of infrastructure.”

The CFA was established as an independent agency of the Commonwealth to administer Pennsylvania’s economic stimulus packages. The CFA holds fiduciary responsibility over the funding of programs and investments in Pennsylvania’s economic growth.

The CFA awards the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Multimodal Transportation Fund grants, which aim to encourage economic development and ensure that a safe and reliable system of transportation is available to the residents of the Commonwealth.

Contact:       Andrew M. Seder

          aseder@pasen.gov

          (570) 226-5960

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