by thebigham
www.bradfordera.com:
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
State won't rebuild viaduct
By MARCIE SCHELLHAMMER / Era Reporter
Citing a lack of funds, Gov. Ed Rendell has decided not to rebuild the Kinzua Viaduct.
"We are not going to rebuild the bridge because it is cost-prohibitive," explained Abe Amoros of the Governor's press office late Tuesday afternoon.
"The decision was made late last week on the senior executive level," he added.
"We simply don't have the $40 million plus to rebuild," Amoros said, "but we will still be making a significant investment in the visitors/interpretive center, stabilizing the remainder of the bridge and the valley floor cleanup."
He explained the parts of the bridge that fell to the floor of the Kinzua Gorge during the tornado July 21 will be cleaned up as part of the plan for the future of the Kinzua Bridge State Park.
In addition, the visitor's center will feature a history of the engineering for the bridge, Amoros explained, and will have "a component that highlights the demise at the hands of Mother Nature."
Work will be done to improve the road and parking lot and to stabilize the remaining nine towers on the bridge.
The intention is to "make the entire project more popular and attractive to the residents of the area," he explained. The governor was recently quoted in area media as having said the bridge "may have more appeal as a tourist attraction in its current state than it did when it was an intact bridge."
Few details about the future of the bridge were available on Tuesday, and even fewer were available as to where the money might come from to pay for the changes and improvements called for at the park.
Amoros did not have any information on the possibility of funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. McKean County was declared a disaster area following the tornado and several heavy storms that swept through the area in July.
FEMA had done a site assessment and was going to make a report to the governor.
The park, as with all state parks, falls under the auspices of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Gretchen Leslie, press secretary for the DCNR, explained that DCNR Secretary Michael DiBerardinis supports the governor's decision.
"The secretary was fully aware of the governor's decision, and he agreed that this is the direction that makes the most sense for the Commonwealth," Leslie reported.
"More information will become available as funding sources are available," she said. She added that the governor's decision has been one of the proposals the DCNR outlined from the start.
The other two proposals were to rebuild or to just leave the bridge as it was left by the tornado.
While the decision was finalized last week, few people had been informed that the viaduct would not be rebuilt.
State Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, was surprised by the news, but said -- realistically -- it was anticipated.
"For economic reasons, I could see it coming," he said. "Forty-five million, that's certainly a lot of money. There's a lot we can do with $45 million.
"We've got a lot of highways that need rebuilt," he said.
He added that he would like more information on the governor's intentions, specifically what is meant by cleaning up the valley floor.
"I think they should leave (the fallen pieces) intact so people can come and look at it," Causer said. "I don't believe they should haul it out of there, no."
Hauling it out would be costly, he surmised, as there are 11 towers -- including the tallest ones on the viaduct -- now on the floor of the Kinzua Gorge.
"I do think we have to continue to urge them to fix up that park," Causer added. "That park is sitting in a beautiful area."
Since the tornado, the Kinzua Bridge Foundation, at www.kinzuabridgeonline.com, has been raising donations for the future of the park.
"That is a shame," president Bill Kilmer said. He had not known of the governor's decision prior to a call from The Era. "That's a piece of history that we hate to lose all together.
"It's really disappointing," he said. "We don't have much of in this area anymore going for us. We've got to have something here in the future."
Speaking about the funds raised since the viaduct fell, Kilmer said, "We do have money put aside to help rebuild the bridge or to do something in the park itself. It can only be used in the Kinzua Bridge State Park."
The foundation has been working on a campaign in the surrounding counties to collect funds for the bridge as well.
"We're going to have to re-address some things," Kilmer said. "We're not going to give up."
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
State won't rebuild viaduct
By MARCIE SCHELLHAMMER / Era Reporter
Citing a lack of funds, Gov. Ed Rendell has decided not to rebuild the Kinzua Viaduct.
"We are not going to rebuild the bridge because it is cost-prohibitive," explained Abe Amoros of the Governor's press office late Tuesday afternoon.
"The decision was made late last week on the senior executive level," he added.
"We simply don't have the $40 million plus to rebuild," Amoros said, "but we will still be making a significant investment in the visitors/interpretive center, stabilizing the remainder of the bridge and the valley floor cleanup."
He explained the parts of the bridge that fell to the floor of the Kinzua Gorge during the tornado July 21 will be cleaned up as part of the plan for the future of the Kinzua Bridge State Park.
In addition, the visitor's center will feature a history of the engineering for the bridge, Amoros explained, and will have "a component that highlights the demise at the hands of Mother Nature."
Work will be done to improve the road and parking lot and to stabilize the remaining nine towers on the bridge.
The intention is to "make the entire project more popular and attractive to the residents of the area," he explained. The governor was recently quoted in area media as having said the bridge "may have more appeal as a tourist attraction in its current state than it did when it was an intact bridge."
Few details about the future of the bridge were available on Tuesday, and even fewer were available as to where the money might come from to pay for the changes and improvements called for at the park.
Amoros did not have any information on the possibility of funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. McKean County was declared a disaster area following the tornado and several heavy storms that swept through the area in July.
FEMA had done a site assessment and was going to make a report to the governor.
The park, as with all state parks, falls under the auspices of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Gretchen Leslie, press secretary for the DCNR, explained that DCNR Secretary Michael DiBerardinis supports the governor's decision.
"The secretary was fully aware of the governor's decision, and he agreed that this is the direction that makes the most sense for the Commonwealth," Leslie reported.
"More information will become available as funding sources are available," she said. She added that the governor's decision has been one of the proposals the DCNR outlined from the start.
The other two proposals were to rebuild or to just leave the bridge as it was left by the tornado.
While the decision was finalized last week, few people had been informed that the viaduct would not be rebuilt.
State Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, was surprised by the news, but said -- realistically -- it was anticipated.
"For economic reasons, I could see it coming," he said. "Forty-five million, that's certainly a lot of money. There's a lot we can do with $45 million.
"We've got a lot of highways that need rebuilt," he said.
He added that he would like more information on the governor's intentions, specifically what is meant by cleaning up the valley floor.
"I think they should leave (the fallen pieces) intact so people can come and look at it," Causer said. "I don't believe they should haul it out of there, no."
Hauling it out would be costly, he surmised, as there are 11 towers -- including the tallest ones on the viaduct -- now on the floor of the Kinzua Gorge.
"I do think we have to continue to urge them to fix up that park," Causer added. "That park is sitting in a beautiful area."
Since the tornado, the Kinzua Bridge Foundation, at www.kinzuabridgeonline.com, has been raising donations for the future of the park.
"That is a shame," president Bill Kilmer said. He had not known of the governor's decision prior to a call from The Era. "That's a piece of history that we hate to lose all together.
"It's really disappointing," he said. "We don't have much of in this area anymore going for us. We've got to have something here in the future."
Speaking about the funds raised since the viaduct fell, Kilmer said, "We do have money put aside to help rebuild the bridge or to do something in the park itself. It can only be used in the Kinzua Bridge State Park."
The foundation has been working on a campaign in the surrounding counties to collect funds for the bridge as well.
"We're going to have to re-address some things," Kilmer said. "We're not going to give up."