County Bridge Across Fishing Creek Needs Some Work

MILL HALL – Clinton County owns two bridges and one of them is going to need some serious work. The county commissioners recently said the Peale Avenue Bridge, crossing Fishing Creek in Mill Hall, has some issues with its deck and beams and was recently posted with an additional weight restriction (see sign at right). The structure, near the Mill Hall Fire Company, has pre-stressed concrete beams and board chairman Pete Smeltz said the steel strands inside the beams are rusting and subject to snapping. Smeltz said no determination has been made as to the soundness of the bridge piers and abutments. Cost of repairs has been estimated at $2 million and the county is hopeful a sizeable portion of that cost could be provided by the state. Act 13 Bridge Fund money is also a possibility to assist with funding, Smeltz said. The commissioners said the second county-owned bridge, the Hammersley Fork Bridge over Kettle Creek, also needs some routine maintenance at a cost of up to $30,000; they deemed that bridge structurally sound. Record photos – John Lipez