Demolition moving to Donora side of bridge

As demolition of the bridge spanning the Monongahela River between Donora and Webster continues, plans are underway to pay tribute to the bridge's namesake.

PennDOT officials are preparing a lasting tribute in Webster for former Lt. Gov. Ernest Kline and his family is preparing to mark the final demolition of the bridge named in his honor in mid-April.

In the meantime, demolition of the Lieutenant Governor Ernest P. Kline Memorial Bridge will shift from the Webster side to the Donora side of the span this week.

Long known as the Donora-Webster bridge, the span was built in 1908 and renamed for Kline after it closed for good when an inspection revealed its main support beams had deteriorated. PennDOT announced in February 2012 that it would raze the bridge.

The $2.6 million demolition contract was awarded in June to Beech Construction Inc. of Carnegie.

Scott Faieta, assistant construction engineer for PennDOT District 12 in Uniontown, said crews have removed most of the approach spans on the Webster side. The abutments and pier caps will be removed before crews move to the Donora side of the span.

Faieta said PennDOT is waiting for Verizon to remove a line it has on the bridge before demolition can start there.

We plan to start removing the first two approach spans by the end of this week, Faieta said. We hope to have all of the spans down on the Donora side by the end of the month.

Faieta said some preparation work before the final demolition of the river sections will be done after the Donora sides are removed. Demtech, a specialty blasting company in Saxonburg, will handle the implosion work.

Once the main span falls, the contractor will have up to 48 hours to remove it from the navigation, or center, portion of the river. Sonar will be used to ensure all metal is removed from the river.

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Demolition moving to Donora side of bridge