CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County Commissioners on Tuesday awarded at-risk bridge funds to help facilitate replacement of the Bilger’s Rocks Road Bridge.
In April, the president of the Bilger’s Rocks Association sent letters to the Bloom Township board of supervisors, county commissioners and State Rep. Mike Armanini, said Jodi Brennan, county planning director.
The letters sought assistance concerning the “deplorable condition” of Bilger’s Rocks Road—the main access to Bilger’s Rocks, a popular tourist attraction averaging 20,000 guests per year.
In addition to the poor roadway conditions, the bridge located along Bilger’s Rocks Road is also in very poor condition, she said, and currently ranked in the Top 5 of the county’s local bridges in terms of priority.
As a result, the township plans to apply for state funding that’s available through the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED) multi-modal grant program.
The bridge work alone is estimated to cost over $1 million dollars; additional roadway paving will cost $682,000, according to Brennan, which is prompting the township to request a waiver of the 30 percent match due to the lack of available funds.
The township’s entire liquid fuels budget is less than the required 30 percent match, she said, adding it also has a loan coming due from the last time they paved.
“It’s using the remainder of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, plus tapping into its state funds to tar and chip township roads at the end of the month.”
The lack of local match is a “serious issue” that was identified in the newly-adopted Clearfield County Comprehensive Plan, Brennan said.
“Many of our rural municipalities are at a disadvantage when competing for grant funding because they simply cannot afford matching funds requirements.”
“Our comprehensive plan was designed to help guide the future actions of our elected officials,” she said.
Brennan then sought for the commissioners to allocate county at-risk bridge funds in the amount of $273,000 to Bloom Township to help leverage state grant funds to replace the Bilger’s Rocks Road Bridge.
Doing so would be consistent with the goals of the county’s newly-adopted comprehensive plan, she said.
Before the commissioners’ approval, Board Chairman Dave Glass encouraged the county’s smaller municipalities to have a more forward-thinking mindset and set aside part of their millage for such projects so it doesn’t put more pressure on the state and or county to make up the difference.
“It’s not popular but important for them to do their share.”
Commissioner Tim Winters did point out that the cost of construction is “utterly ridiculous” here because it’s not even a sizable bridge structure.
“These projects do become a burden for our smaller municipalities because they just don’t have the tax base … for a million-dollar bridge that’s neither long, nor wide, nor tall.”
The award was subsequently approved 2-0, with Commissioner John A. Sobel abstaining as he represents the Bilger’s Rocks Association.