News Nearby: New Bridge Connects Biking Trails

A major milestone on a project more than 10 years in the making was reached Wednesday when the  was lifted in place.

The 200-foot long bridge crosses Clifton Road and connects the Arrowhead Trail in Peters Township with the Bethel Park portion of the Montour Trail ending at Irishtown Road. 

Century Steel Erectors used a 500-ton crane to move the steel structure onto the concrete abutments and the longtime gap was finally bridged. The project is named after J.R. Taylor, a superintendent at Century Steel Erectors who died in 2004.

Fabricated by American Bridge Manufacturing, the bridge arrived on seven trucks and was assembled in the parking lot of Al’s Café on Friday and Saturday. More than 50 ironworkers volunteered 21 hours of their time to assemble hundreds of pieces of steel into the main bridge span.  

The crane arrived Tuesday night from Johnstown and had to be assembled before the lifting began. Once that portion was complete, four steel cables, weighing five tons each, were used to support the weight.

“It was an amazing effort of many people working together to make this happen,” said Tom Prezel, co-chair of the Engineering and Construction Committee for the Montour Trail Council. 

Century Steel and the Taylor Family have been working on this project to raise funds since 2004. They held several successful motorcycle rides and the Montour Trail Council has hosted the annual 5K bridge walk/run each year with the help of many community volunteers.

Now that the bridge is in place, the concrete will have to be poured into the abutments and for the walking surface, as well as construction of the railings. “It will be at least another month before it’s walkable,” said Prezel.

The opening of the bridge is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 4, but that depends on weather and other factors.