If you live or work in Lycoming County, there is a very good chance that on any given day, you are likely to cross a bridge. Bridges are so common that they just seem like part of the road. We rarely think about bridges until one gets closed — and then it seems like the world has flipped on its axis. Our routes must change, our time schedules are disrupted, and all because of something that we take for granted and never think about has suddenly been taken from us.

This is what happened in McIntyre Township in Lycoming County when the floods in 2015 seriously damaged an important conduit in the area. The Marsh Hill Bridge is one of 15 bridges owned by the county, and it not only needed to be replaced, but the soil erosion on the banks required that the bridge needed to be moved fifty feet upstream. Lycoming County Planning Department Transportation Supervisor Mark Murawski was tasked with this daunting assignment. Murawski intended to retire at the end of 2018, and it turned out that this would be his final project, and arguably the crowning achievement of his stellar government career.

It all started with a phone call. Lycoming is the only county in Pennsylvania that does a regular inspection of all the bridges. Because bridges under 20 feet are not required to be inspected, some 6000 small bridges under 20’ in the state do NOT get inspected. But Lycoming County contracted with Larson Design Group, engineer for the county, to inspect every bridge. Mark Murawski received a call from Larson that the Marsh Hill Bridge was deficient and needed an immediate weight restriction to prevent further damage.

Located directly off of Route 14, the bridge served as an important passageway to homes and recreation areas. For those over the weight limit, such as school buses and fuel trucks, as well as emergency vehicles, there was a serious diversion that required a seven-mile detour over another bridge that was itself on the verge of needing repair.

The challenge facing Murawski was not just the essentials of coordinating design work and construction contracting, but coordinating all this through Lycoming County, McIntyre Township, Penn DOT, PA Dept of Environmental Protection (DEP), local school districts, Shesequin Campground, the PA Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), and the Federal Highway Administration(whew!) But with blood, sweat, and toil, after three years of hard work, the ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on November 14, 2018, just three weeks before Supervisor Mark Murawski’s retirement date on December 7th. The total cost came in at $2.2 million, but fortunately, utilizing various state funds, less than 5 percent of this cost fell on local dollars.

Everything about the new bridge was outstanding. By moving the bridge, it enabled better erosion control on the banks and increased the waterway opening by 20 percent. By widening the bridge to a 32-foot cartway, it provided space for larger vehicles. And it was built so well that it could possibly last into the next century.

Mark Murawski was summoned back to the County Commissioner’s meeting several weeks ago for the presentation of an award made by the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) for the winner of the 37th Annual Road/Bridge Safety Improvement Program. This award is made each year by the Pennsylvania Highway Information Association (PHIA) and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) team with various state organizations to recognize the best road safety or bridge improvement projects undertaken across the state. It is open to all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. The competition recognizes not only major, high-cost projects, but any improvements that have increased public safety.

Imagine every single bridge project in the state, and then realize that this one was singled out as the best. It is an amazing accomplishment. It cannot be underestimated how prestigious a recognition this is for the county. Congratulations to all who had a hand in this award-winning project.

Larry Stout welcomes your comments or input. He can be reached by email at lionwebbweekly@gmail.com.