Bridge replacements are frustrating for those who travel the affected road.

Motorists using Route 209 in Monroe County will have challenges when the structurally deficient bridge crossing Middle Creek, near Route 534, is replaced in 2016, but the news could be worse.Project manager Dan Galvin, of Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners, said Wednesday during an open house at the Polk Township Municipal Building that one lane would be open to traffic during construction."This is a double span bridge and not a single span bridge where we have no choice but to close down the road," Galvin told a crowd of nearly 30.The bridge, built in 1925, is one of 558 being replaced around the state as part of a public-private partnership between PWKP and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.Work on the bridge is expected to start in March 2016 and run through October of that year.That lane restricton will affect the afternoon school bus run when traffic is heavy and will affect traffic to and from the West End Fair."Right now, it's in the very early stages and this meeting was held to get input from everyone in the community about the design and any concerns they have," Galvin said. "We'll have another meeting at least 30 days before construction starts."One business owner concerned about the impact of the bridge replacement is Kresgeville Deli owner Sandra Domenico, who asked if any grants would be available to offset a negative financial impact on her store."This has the potential to put us out of business when we're working so hard to come back from a recession," she said. "I know it needs to be done, but as a business owner I'm worried."Galvin said PennDOT would better be able to address that question.Other questions centered on the dimensions of the new bridge.Currently, the bridge is 50 feet long and 43 feet wide. The bridge will be lengthened to 60 feet and narrowed to 38 feet."The reason for that is we just didn't notice a whole lot of pedestrian traffic out there," Galvin said.There will be 8-foot shoulders that can be used be pedestrians, he added.Had a sidewalk been installed instead of the 8-foot shoulders, Polk Township would have been tasked with maintaining it.The two traffic lanes will be 11 feet each when the project is completed.Though the replacement is still another year away, Galvin said motorists shouldn't be worried that bridge will crumble at any moment."It's labeled as structurally deficient not because it's about to fall down, but more because there is a weight restriction on it," he said."Part of the reason we do this replacement is to take away that weight restriction."Temporary traffic signals will be used with emitters to accommodate emergency vehicles.Officials said the project could be done for around $1 million.PWKP will design, replace and maintain the bridges for 25 years. PennDOT will have ownership of the bridges.Two bridges in Carbon County are also being replaced as part of the partnership, including where Route 209 crosses Beaver Run in Packerton Hollow and where state Route 4010 crosses Quakake Creek in Packer Township.Anyone who wants to submit a comment on the bridge replacement can e-mail Galvin at

dgalvin@walshgroup.com.