Luzerne County reports progress in Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge engineer selection

The process to select an engineer for the Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge replacement project has advanced, Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo said Wednesday.

County council voted last month to streamline procedures by allowing a county administration team to review the statements of qualifications from all five engineering firm respondents and recommend the top three to county council, which will make the final selection.

The administration team completed its evaluation Monday to determine the top three and submitted its evaluation forms and rankings to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s central office for its approval, Crocamo said.

Upon PennDOT approval, the firm names will be publicly released, she said.

Technical presentations from the top three firms will then be scheduled with county council, she said, noting she is unable to provide a time estimate at this time.

Council Chairman John Lombardo said Wednesday he will schedule a special meeting to hear presentations from the top three.

A meeting focused solely on the engineers is warranted because each presentation will be lengthy, Lombardo said, emphasizing he does not want to rush through them.

“This will allow us to focus and make an informed choice,” he said.

Lombardo said he will immediately contact his council colleagues to select a special meeting date as soon as he receives the go-ahead from PennDOT.

“We want to get this project moving as quickly as possible,” he said.

Crocamo closed the county-owned bridge over the Susquehanna River on March 20 after engineers performing an inspection found further deterioration and section loss of primary, load-carrying components.

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 county must select an engineer to develop three options for the bridge.

With the closing, the alternate route is the Route 29/South Cross Valley Expressway crossing, officially called the John S. Fine Bridge.

Totaling 2,072 feet, the bridge connects Nanticoke and the West Nanticoke section of Plymouth Township. The crossing was constructed in 1914 and last rehabilitated in 1987.