Dunmore, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced Monday that work on the project to remove the Skinners Falls Bridge will begin on February 26, 2025. Due to weather conditions, the start of work will not proceed until Mid-March 2025. At that time, work will begin with site preparation and causeway construction.
PennDOT is removing the Skinners Falls Bridge due to its failed condition. An October 2024 inspection showed that the bridge superstructure is in a critical condition and the substructure has failed. PennDOT analyzed different options and determined demolition was necessary to eliminate the risk to public safety. A January 2025 inspection confirmed the New York abutment and upstream (left) truss bearing areas are actively moving. It is necessary to remove the bridge as quickly as possible to prevent an uncontrolled collapse.
Area residents and recreation users are advised of the following restrictions:
· The fishing access area and parking lot will not be accessible for public use during construction. Construction is anticipated to last until May 2025.
· Recreation users are directed to exit the river upstream at Damascus and re-enter the river downstream at Narrowsburg. River use will be restricted while construction activities are occurring. River users are strongly encouraged to avoid travelling and recreating under and around the Skinners Falls-Milanville Bridge.
· An Aids to Navigation Plan (ATON) for recreational river users to pass under the bridge is currently in effect, however buoys are not present because of river icing. Buoys and advisory signage will be installed in the river when the river is free of ice.
· A complete river closure in the vicinity of the bridge will be necessary during a portion of construction. Please check NPS Upper Delaware River website for river alerts. http://nps.gov/upde/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
· The area in and around the Skinners Falls Bridge will be fenced off for public safety. Public access will not be allowed for the duration of construction.
Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.
Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District4.
Information about infrastructure in District 4, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.pa.gov/D4Results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.
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