Historic bridge is coming down
WEBSTER – A crew began to dismantle the historic Donora-Webster Bridge, which has been closed for six years because of its deteriorating condition.
Workers from Beech Construction Inc. of Carnegie used heavy equipment Thursday to demolish the Webster approach to the 107-year-old steel span across the Monongahela River in Washington and Westmoreland counties.
A Beech spokesman said the crew next will demolish the approach on the Donora side of the river in preparation for implosion of the main spans before August.
The state Department of Transportation awarded Beech a $2.6 million contract to eliminate the bridge, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of the way it was constructed with pins joining its steel beams.
Under an agreement with the state Historical and Museum Commission, PennDOT must donate the bridge’s dedication markers to Donora and Rostraver Township, along with sections of the span’s pin joints and several of the stones that make up its piers.
Mark Toth of Webster said he remembers having a lot of fun on the bridge when he was young.
“There are a lot of memories on that bridge,” Toth said.
“It was a much easier route to Donora,” added his wife, Traci.