Schuylkill County commissioners on Wednesday approved the first step in a process that could save about $9 million by consolidating bridge repair/replacement projects.

They agreed to transition the county Solid Waste Authority into broader responsibilities and extended terms.

They also appointed members: Schuylkill Transportation Executive Director Gary Martinaitis through Dec 31; county engineer Lisa Mahall, through Dec. 31, 2027; county Finance Director Glenn Geissinger, through Dec. 31, 2028; retired school superintendent Andrew Smarkanic, through Dec. 31, 2029; and Glenn Weist, through Dec. 31, 2030.

Commissioners amended the articles of incorporation of the authority to revise the purposes by eliminating any existing references to solid waste projects, and establishing its purpose as a general purpose municipal authority for the county.

It established the number of board members at five, and extended the terms to Dec. 31, 2075.

The reason for the change is so that the authority can take ownership of the 28 of the county’s 62 bridges that are in need of repair or replacement.

The authority would be the issuing body for the $50 million upfront payment to “bundle” the bridge work contracts so the materials can be bought in bulk and the projects completed in about five years instead of one every year or two.

The financing is done through Certificates of Participation. That way, Scott Kramer, managing director of municipal finance at Raymond James, Lancaster, told commissioners last week, its “not a direct obligation debt of the county.”

He said the debt would likely be structured over 30 years, with the option of prepaying it over the first seven or eight years.

Kramer, along with Timothy S. Benner of Maguire Engineering, Allentown, and Tax-Exempt Finance Attorney Andrew C. Maher of Stevens & Lee, plan to present their bridge bundling proposal the Pennsylvania P3 Board (the Public Private Partnership Board) later this month.

The board oversees state transportation projects and evaluates private sector infrastructure proposals.