Columbia Street bridge in Schuylkill Haven enters final stage of construction

Ron Devlin, Republican & Herald, Pottsville, Pa.
·2 min read

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Construction of the new Columbia Street bridge has apparently entered its final stage.

After a seasonal break, crews recently resumed work on the $4.2 million concrete span over the Schuylkill River.

Awarded a contract in April 2022, New Jersey-based Richard E. Pierson Construction Co. has until July 23 to complete the project, a PennDOT spokesman said.

On Tuesday, crews were pouring concrete on a walkway at Main and Columbia streets.

Workers from Herr Signal & Lighting Co., of Dauphin County, were installing a new traffic light at Columbia and North Berne streets, near the Turkey Hill convenience store.

Columbia Street Bridge

An excavator operator performs work Tuesday on the Columbia Street bridge project in Schuylkill Haven.

Schuylkill Haven Borough electrical department workers recently began installing light standards for the bridge.

Donald “Doc” Dress, a borough councilman, donated Victorian-style lights to be placed at the corners of the bridge.

The new bridge replaces a 137-foot-long double-arch bridge completed in 1922, according to Joseph H. Zerbey’s history of Schuylkill County.

A bronze plaque on the old bridge identified it as Bridge No. 90, built by the Concrete and Steel Co., of Clarksburg, West Virginia.

The old bridge was dismantled in portions to allow for the construction of the new 140-foot-long span. Its two traffic lanes and sidewalks rest on a single pier in the river.

Hess Ready Mix Concrete, Schuylkill Haven, provided the concrete for the project.

In December, PennDOT District 5 executive Chris Kufro informed the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce infrastructure committee that the structure will be named the Caitlin E. McGarry Memorial Bridge.

McGarry, who was on staff at PennDOT District 5 in Allentown, died in 2018. A 2012 Schuylkill Haven Area High School graduate, she was class treasurer and a member of the National Honor Society.

No date has been set for formal dedication, which PennDOT says will take place after the bridge is completed.