Will bridge weight limit hinder emergency vehicles?

 

When: Borough council meeting, July 25.

• What happened: Recent weight restrictions on the Veterans Memorial Bridge, which connects Columbia to Wrightsville, spurred concern about how the borough will respond to emergencies that occur on the span.

• Background: The state Department of Transportation limited vehicle weight to 10 tons July 17 after inspectors found more damage than expected during a routine inspection.

• More: However, some emergency vehicles, such as fire trucks and tow trucks, weigh more than the allowed 20,000 pounds. Fire trucks, for instance, weigh about 33,000 pounds, Stivers said during a July 28 phone call.

Details: The state already had scheduled the 93-year-old structure for renovation starting next year but will postpone work until 2025 to come up with a new architectural plan. The weight limit will last until repairs finish. PennDOT estimates that about 5% of the 11,500 vehicles that cross the bridge daily will have to use an alternate route.

• The issue: Stivers said PennDOT originally wanted municipalities to register emergency vehicles for $50 each to receive permission to access the bridge. That won’t work, he said, because no one knows which vehicle or which township, borough or city will respond to an accident, fire or other situation on the bridge.

• What’s new: Officials from PennDOT, Columbia and emergency services were set to meet this week to create a plan to allow emergency vehicles to access the bridge for free, Stivers said in a July 31 email.

Gayle Johnson, For LNP | LancasterOnline