Nine structurally deficient state bridges in the Times News coverage area have been earmarked to be replaced by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

On Monday, PennDOT announced that it will choose a private-sector team to replace a total of 558 bridges throughout the commonwealth and maintain them for 25 years as part of the Rapid Bridge Replacement initiative.Included in the replacement list are bridges in Mahoning and Packer townships in Carbon; Polk, Hamilton and Chestnuthill in Monroe; and Eldred Township in Schuylkill.The initiative bundles the replacement of bridges that are in poor condition into a single contract. The concept is designed to take advantage of design similarities and economies of scale that will reduce the taxpayers' cost, Secretary Barry Schoch said.The program is the nation's first public-private project that involves multiple assets and assigns long-term maintenance responsibility to the private sector."We at PennDOT want to be in a leadership role both here in Pennsylvania and the nation in terms of being innovative and creative," Schoch said. "We're sort of pushing the envelope with this."Four private industry teams are competing for the contract and PennDOT expects to name a winner at the end of October.Teams include Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners, Keystone Bridge Partners, Commonwealth Bridge Partners and Pennsylvania Crossings.The winning team will provide its own financing and be reimbursed by PennDOT over the life of the 28-and-a-half-year contract.Construction of the new bridges is expected to start in the summer of 2015 and must be completed within the first three-and-a-half years. The winning team also assumes responsibility for major maintenance for 25 years."We believe we're going to deliver these at a much better cost, a much faster time frame" than conventional bridge replacements, Schoch said.He said that the savings could leave enough money to cover dozens of additional projects.Of Pennsylvania's more than 25,000 bridges, more than 4,000 are considered in dire need of repair. The average age of the bridges in the state is over 50 years old.The cost of the program is expected to be no more than 5 percent of the department's $2.3 billion annual investment in highway and bridge projects.The state will maintain ownership of the bridges, all of which are relatively simple, similar structures that require full replacement and pose minimal environmental conflicts. The state will handle snow and weed removal and retain the right to close a bridge in an emergency.