Historic Dunlap's Creek Bridge in Brownsville to get much-needed rehab project
BROWNSVILLE, Pa. (KDKA) — At 185 years old, the first cast iron bridge built in the United States is about to get a much-needed facelift in Brownsville.
An orange street sign greets drivers as they approach the Dunlap's Creek Bridge on Market Street in Brownsville and will do so for the next year or so.
"It's going to be a headache for a while and it's a fairly long project. But I think the end result will be worth the time that they have the road closed," George Hough said on Monday.
Hough works at Brownsville Family Pharmacy, which is located just a few steps away from the bridge on Market Street. Just a few hours into the year-long project, he's said he's already seen dozens of drivers have been forced to turn around because they were unaware of the closure
"It's the people that come into town that aren't familiar with the area that are seeming to have the problem," Kathy Sarnicola of Brownsville Pharmacy said.
The existing bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1839 as the first cast iron bridge in the country.
In a statement to KDKA-TV, PennDOT said:
"The $9 million infrastructure preservation project is designed to sensitively rehab the historic bridge structure, restoring views of the original bridge. It will ensure continued structural integrity, stability, and soundness."
While that work is being done, traffic will follow the posted detour to Route 40 over the Lane Bane Bridge and through West Brownsvillle before returning on the Brownsvillle Bridge back into the other side of town.
"It's had its hardships but anything they can do to make it seem a little better, that's all right by me," Hough said.
PennDOT said work on the project will take about one year to finish.