Published: July 04, 2009 12:20 am      

Bridge project creates confusion

EBENSBURG — It sounds simple enough – PennDOT is replacing an old bridge over the creek that feeds Lake Rowena.

But that seemingly small project begun last week has closed one end of the borough’s main streets, isolated several businesses and left motorists lost and confused.

Soon, trout fishermen will find that the lake is being drained, and the official word from the state is that the project will take until Thanksgiving to complete.

Employees at businesses located on the corner of Manor Drive and Rowena Road say motorists seem caught off-guard when they see the “road closed” sign.

Many stop for directions to get out of town.

A restaurant, a bowling alley, two offices and a church are among those isolated while the bridge work is being completed.

Motorists are being routed in a loop around the construction, using Route 22, Route 219 and High Street – but the signs are sparse and often unclear.

The state has been warning Ebensburg borough officials, who in turn have been reporting on the pending project for weeks.

The tiny bridge carries two lanes of traffic over Howell’s Run creek at Lake Rowena. But time and stress have done their part, and the entire bridge must be replaced.

The estimated cost is just more than $1 million. Charles J. Merlo Inc. of Mineral Point, the contractor, will be paid with 80 percent federal and 20 percent state money.

The job is to be completed by Nov. 26, according to PennDOT.

Borough Manager Dan Penatzer said surprisingly few complaints about the inconvenience have been received so far.

The affected businesses have not complained, he said.

“We have had complaints about the signage in town directing people to detours,” he said.

“But a lot of people are driving up to where it’s closed, and seem to be caught off guard. They have to stop and turn around when they see that the road is closed.”

Penatzer’s report to council members at the June 22 meeting warned of the work and the inconvenience it would pose.

Borough Council at that meeting agreed to ask the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to draw down the lake for two weeks in July.

Lowering the water level will make the bridge replacement work easier, he said.

The one condition imposed is that the lake must be allowed to refill in time for Ebensburg’s Homecoming celebration July 25.

At the same time, the borough continues in its attempts to rid Lake Rowena of the weed “coontail,” which grows across the center of the lake.

Previous reductions of the water level have not killed the weed, and it is not expected that the July lowering for the bridge replacement will, either.

The borough is asking for state permission to use an herbicide applied from a boat.

Fishing might be limited for a few days.