Union County secures $2.2 million to replace six bridges
Union County locked in nearly $2.2 million to replace six bridges in five municipalities, bundling the work to cut costs and speed repairs.
PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll stopped at the Walnut Street bridge in New Berlin to spotlight Union County’s plan to replace six locally owned bridges with one bundled project. The package covered Palman Road in Hartley Township, Kaiser Run Road in Lewis Township, Walnut Street in New Berlin Borough, Centennial Road and Johnstown Road in West Buffalo Township, and Creek Road in White Deer Township.
Union County and five municipalities teamed up to win nearly $2.2 million from Pennsylvania’s Multimodal Transportation Fund, with nearly $1.4 million awarded in 2024 and another $800,000 in 2023. County officials said the financing fully covered the project and let the work move forward under one contract, a structure meant to save time and costs while avoiding the kind of piecemeal repairs that can keep rural roads partly disrupted for longer.
The county’s strategy gave small local governments a way to compete for a state grant program that is open each year from March 1 through July 31 and is designed to support transportation assets, rehabilitation work, pedestrian safety, lighting, sidewalks and connectivity improvements. Under Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development rules, eligible projects must cost at least $100,000 and grants cannot exceed $3 million per project. The program was created under Section 2104(a)(4) of Act 89 of 2013.
Union County officials later said the bridge bundle was completed and that grouping the six projects improved efficiency while strengthening the grant application. Commissioners said Planning Director Shawn McLaughlin brought the idea to the county, and the final funding mix included PennDOT, DCED, Union County and municipal contributions. The county’s approach also matched the state’s broader transportation pitch: Carroll said the Multimodal Transportation Fund gives smaller municipalities a valuable funding opportunity, even if pursuing it can be difficult without a larger county-led partnership.
Local lawmakers backed the effort as it moved through the grant process. Sen. Gene Yaw, Rep. Joe Hamm, Rep. Jamie Flick and Rep. Stephanie Borowicz all supported the awards, while county officials framed the bridge package as both a safety upgrade and a way to keep Union County’s transportation network competitive for the next round of repairs.
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