CLEARFIELD – Clearfield County officials have at-risk bridge funding available and are actively seeking applications from local municipalities for projects, announced Planning Director Jodi Brennan at Tuesday’s commissioners’ meeting.
According to her, eligible projects would repair or replace municipally-owned structurally deficient bridges. Projects, she said, would be supported with the county’s Act 13 funds.
Brennan said that the scope of the project must comply with state Department of Transportation (PennDOT) specifications. She said it must remove the at-risk bridge from the list of those that are structurally deficient, as well.
Act 13 of 2012 established a Marcellus Legacy Fund, which allocates a portion of the Marcellus Shale Impact Fee to the Highway Bridge Improvement Restricted Account in the Motor License Fund.
According to Brennan, these funds are distributed to counties to be used for the replacement or repair of locally-owned at-risk, deteriorated bridges. PennDOT officials have defined an at-risk, deteriorated bridge to be one that’s structurally deficient, including those that are posted with weight restrictions.
Act 13 requires PennDOT to approve a submitted plan to repair at-risk, deteriorated bridges. The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) will be the official document for approval of these at-risk bridges, said Brennan.
She said the county would work alongside the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning & Development Commission through the Regional Rural Transportation Organization (RTO) to program any funds awarded on the region’s TIP.
Also, she said projects are going to be reviewed and ranked based upon meeting eligibility requirements, amount of funding leverage, community impact, level of project support and collaboration and project timeliness.
Program guidelines and applications are available upon request by contacting the Clearfield County Planning & Community Development Office. It’s located at 212 E. Locust St., Suite 128, Clearfield; Brennan can be reached at 814-765-5149.
All applications are due to the CCPCD Office no later than 4 p.m. Oct. 5.