First phase of the Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge project underway

Luzerne County’s administration is progressing in the first phase of the Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge project, according to a Friday release.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo closed the bridge over the Susquehanna River, which links Nanticoke and the West Nanticoke section of Plymouth Township, in March 2025 after engineers performing an inspection found further deterioration and section loss of primary, load-carrying components.

The county retained Modjeski and Masters Inc. to proceed with the preliminary design phase of the bridge project, which is expected to take two years.

In addition to $10 million in federal funding allocated through the state for this project, the county has access to a $55 million casino gambling fund established for county infrastructure. Because federal funding is involved, the engineer must first develop three options for the bridge, officials said.

Friday’s release said site preparation, mapping, and deed research are underway, and plans are in place to complete environmental and ownership history studies.

The preliminary steps often are not visible to the public, but the work is essential to ensure compliance with regulations, Crocamo said.

For example, the mapping and deed research will document the project’s boundaries, she said.

“They lay the groundwork for sound planning, regulatory compliance, and responsible stewardship of a structure that has long served the Nanticoke community,” she said in the release.

To date, an aerial mapping survey of the bridge site has been completed, and ground survey crews are installing equipment to begin base mapping of the area around the bridge, it said.

Notices have been sent to nearby property owners who will be impacted by the project, and deeds to those properties have been plotted to determine property boundaries, the release said.

The environmental study will assess the ecological impacts, it said.

Residents will be invited to two public hearings to hear details of the bridge project, with details to be announced at a later date.