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Bridge Project on the Fast Track

LENOX TOWNSHIP — PennDOT is speeding up a project to rebuild a bridge in Susquehanna County. Folks in the Lenox area fought to have the bridge project cha...
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LENOX TOWNSHIP -- PennDOT is speeding up a project to rebuild a bridge in Susquehanna County.

Folks in the Lenox area fought to have the bridge project changed in some way that would lessen the blow to drivers and businesses.

Now, PennDOT is adding hundreds of thousands of dollars to speed up the replacement project by several weeks.

It won't be long now and the bridge along Route 106 near Lenox will be out of commission and initially, it looked like it could be nearly four months. So business owners took their concerns to PennDOT and recently found out, it made a difference.

"We kind of implored them if they would try to speed up the process because there’s 20-30 businesses affected and hundreds of people working at the corners here," said Dave Scarpetta, owner of Bingham's Restaurant.

Scarpetta explained his business and others would suffer if the bridge were out for 15 weeks. Now the construction company plans to work around the clock and have the project finished in 10 weeks.

"It still is a big hit for all the businesses around here," he added.

In order to get the job done sooner, PennDOT is moving a few hundred thousand dollars from other bridge projects throughout the state.

"We feel right now we’ll be able to shuffle money around and shuffle some projects around and make some changes elsewhere and it won’t have any impact on the taxpayer," said PennDOT spokesman James May.

In two weeks, the bridge at the Lenox exit off Interstate 81 will be shut down meaning traffic will have to take a 14-mile detour. Some folks we spoke with said they’re not sold on the idea that PennDOT can get this project finished in 10 weeks instead of the original plan 15.

"They’re saying it could be done in 10 weeks and we’re extremely skeptical," said Cheryl Meek.

At Lenox Pharmacy, the feeling is that no matter how long it takes to replace the 60-year-old bridge it will be a drag on business as well as customers.

"10 weeks, 15 weeks, they have to drive very far to get here and may decide to go elsewhere," said Meek. "We're still very dissatisfied that they’re doing it this way."

The bridge is set to be closed in two weeks and again, be out through the end of August which is right when students are expected to go back to class at nearby Mountain View School District.

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