Sep 6, 2018 2 min read

The McDowell Lane Bridge carries the designation Chartiers No. 12, but Lisa Cessna, who oversees the Washington County Bridge Department, calls it one of her two most complicated.

Not only does the bridge span Canonsburg Lake, a 76-acre body of water, but construction of its replacement includes two townships, the state Department of Transportation, the state Fish and Boat Commission, and because bald eagles nest there, the Federal Highway Administration.

Replacement of the 75-year-old bridge is needed and is expected to cost $3.5 million. So when Cessna brought up the matter at the county commissioners’ agenda-setting meeting this week, there were questions to be answered.

The county’s reimbursement to PennDOT will soon be $925,000, requiring a $315,000 supplement that Cessna asked the board of commissioners to approve.

Commissioner Harlan Shober questioned the cost, and Cessna explained the original agreement covered preliminary design, while the additional money will include rights of way, utility relocation and final design.

“This is a big bridge,” Shober acknowledged.

“We actually don’t own the causeway,” Cessna said of an area that will have to be enlarged because the county plans to double the width of the bridge to accommodate pedestrians on one side.

The commissioners approved an amended reimbursement agreement with PennDOT Thursday by a 3-0 vote.

The new spans to and from the causeway will be 24 feet longer and 13 feet wider than the original, which has long carried traffic to Little Lake Theatre and, more recently, lakeside diners to the Mad Mex restaurant.

McDowell Lane connects Route 19 in Peters Township to North Strabane Township and the Interstate 79 Canonsburg interchange.

When the project results in a closure, probably in 2020, the proposed detour onto McClelland Road will be 4.5 miles.

How to minimize the impact of bridge construction on the eagles’ habitat is still under review, said Cessna, who hopes to award a contract next year.