SCRANTON, Pa. — "It's been that way for 20 years it's just all fallen apart. The ice falls off it. The rocks fall off and everything falls off it," says Walter Czwartoski of North Scranton.
It's been nothing but stop and go traffic outside Czwartoski's home along Theodore Street.
Last week the city closed a portion of the roadway after concerns arose about the condition of the Norfolk southern owned railroad bridge.
The bridge is covered in rust and has eroding walls. Crews from the railroad were out Monday, beginning repairs.
"Might be a little bit of a hassle, but people will get around it. There are many bridges on the rail lines in the roads that need work," says city engineer Tom Reilly Jr.
Working with PennDOT, Reilly says the main concern is the decaying barricades along the bridge.
That's why he says crews have placed temporary planking, to catch any fallen debris.
"I mean, it's definitely dangerous. It's a concern for sure. We were talking about it the other day that all the pillars are kind of bent and stuff, so that's definitely worrisome," says community member Jaclyn Lee.
Having lived on Theodore Street for several years, Lee says seeing construction on the bridge is a great sign. She hopes it will bring an end to a problem she says has been a safety hazard for years.
"We are all thinking, the same thing we just want it fixed. We don't want anyone hurt we just wanted to be taken care of." said Lee. "Hopefully before the summer when there's more traffic, kids are walking, you know up and down the roads."
The Scranton city engineer says he plans to meet with other city officials to discuss a detour for sometime later this week.
Theodore Street will be closed so crews from Norfolk Southern can bring in equipment to replace more of the top section.