Veterans Memorial Bridge rehabilitation delayed again — to 2028; Mayor calls for updated emergency plans

By Columbia Spy -

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

The planned rehabilitation of the Veterans Memorial Bridge (Route 462)  has been pushed back again, and Mayor Leo Lutz says the emergency plans developed for the closure need to be revived and updated "if and when" work begins.

Lutz briefed council on the project at the Columbia Borough Workshop on October 6. The rehabilitation was originally scheduled to start in 2027 but is now expected to begin in 2028. No reason was given for the delay.

Lutz said extensive planning had already taken place for the 2027 start, including emergency management plans meant to handle traffic and other problems on the Route 30 bridge while the Route 462 span is closed.

"There were a lot of meetings, a lot of plans, emergency management plans drawn up to handle whatever may come to pass out on the Route 30 bridge when the Route 462 bridge is shut," Lutz said.

But those groups have not met in some time, and the new timeline has left the work in need of attention. "We haven't met for quite some time, and now they bumped it back to 2028," the mayor said. "And a lot of the people that were involved in that planning are not around, so those plans seriously need to be updated."

Lutz said he plans to work with Jay Barninger (Emergency Management Coordinator) and to contact PennDOT and the project contractor to restart inter-agency discussions. The talks would include Lancaster County and York County emergency management officials.

Lutz expressed confidence in the existing groundwork, noting that Barninger remains involved. "I think we're still pretty solid because Jay Barninger is still here, and our plans probably just need some updating," he said. He acknowledged, however, that "there's been a lot of changes made" to the overall project package.

Lutz suggested the planning group meet on a regular schedule, possibly quarterly, to keep the plans current as the project approaches. "'28 isn't that far off," he said. "So we need to keep that emergency plan up to date. So, if and when they ever shut that bridge down, we're ready to go."

No dates have been announced for the renewed planning meetings.

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