May 18, 2015 2 min read

DONORA – The state expects the historic Donora-Webster Bridge to be removed from the landscape by late June, the demolition project manager said.

The contractor will use heavy equipment and cranes to remove smaller sections of the span over Norfolk Southern rail lines in Donora in preparation for the implosion that will send most of the bridge into the Monongahela River, said Dominec Caruso, the project manager for the state Department of Transportation.

“It really is going to look different down there,” Caruso said Monday, when workers were removing the concrete deck in Donora.

PennDOT closed the 107-year-old bridge to traffic six years ago because of its deteriorating condition. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its design, a distinction that wasn’t enough to save it from demolition. PennDOT will save small pieces of the steel and stone for Donora and Rostraver Township.

Beech Construction Inc. of Carnegie has a $2.6 million contract to eliminate the bridge before the end of August.

The company has met with hurdles while following the rules and regulations of the railroad to protect rail traffic, Caruso said.

Its employees will spend the remainder of the week removing the deck on the first two trusses on the Donora side of the river, he said.

Those trusses will be removed using torches and cranes after Memorial Day, he added.

PennDOT was still reviewing Beech’s demolition plans, and could stall the implosion until July, Caruso said.

The long center span and one on each side of the river will be imploded.

“That’s the game plan right now,” Caruso said.