Borough Council to Consider Alternatives to 3rd St. Bridge/Dam Project

After a second public hearing Thursday regarding the 3rd Street bridge/dam project, has said it will consider all comments, recommendations and alternatives that the public has brought before council.

However, because the borough has agreed to a three-way stipulation with Delaware County and Broomall's Lake Country Club, all parties must be in agreement before alternative plans could move forward.

The Friends of Glen Providence Park was the main group to voice opinions at the meeting with about 100 people in attendance and it asked council to establish a citizen advisory committee regarding the project, conduct an independent peer review of the project proposal and create a pedestrian/bicycle greenway over the bridge, with emergency vehicle access, rather than a two-lane roadway open to vehicle traffic.

Friends of Glen Providence Park, which collected 836 petition signatures in 30 days, has researched and complied information regarding alternatives and possible loopholes to what is currently proposed.

Currently, three design plans have been presented each slightly different from the other. One with the two-lane roadway, shoulder and a small sidewalk on the lakeside of the road, another version included a parking area and sidewalks proposed for both sides of the bridge and a third version was just a shoulder along the roadway with no parking area or sidewalks. A concrete barrier and fence would be on the dam side of the project and a guide rail along the lakeside for the narrower walkway proposal. (See the attached PDF file for the design plans).

John Harrison, representing Schnabel Engineering, said based on the the parking area version is likely off the table since the public seemed to not be in favor of that.

The project design is based off what was needed and requested of the engineering firm in 1998, when the project began. In 2004, the project stalled when the question of bridge/dam ownership came into play.

Robin Lasersohn, a resident and part of the Friends group, explained to borough council that no where in the numerous documents regarding the 3rd Street bridge/dam is it stipulated that the roadway must be used for motor vehicles.

"Things have changed since 1998, especially at the bridge itself. It made perfect sense back in 1998 for the goal of the project to be to reopen the road. When you lose something it’s natural to want to replace it," she said. "But in the years since the roadway has been closed, things have changed. People have started walking, biking, hiking, strolling and enjoying that area as green open space."

The result of building the road now is to take something away from the community, Lasersohn said.

"A greenway is legal," she said. "We’ve carefully reviewed all the documents of this project and have determined that the greenway is consistent with every single one of them."

Lasersohn said PennDOT funding doesn’t require establishing a road for motor vehicles and the three-way stipulation agreement between the borough, county and Broomall's Lake also does not stipulate the roadway be open to motor vehicles specifically.

"Bicycles are legally recognized vehicles under Pennsylvania law and allowing them across that bridge would meet the requirements of the stipulation," she said.

Borough Council responded that its legal counsel would have to review all the documents and determine if it can in fact legally open the bridge as a greenway rather than a roadway to motor vehicles.

Councilman Peter Williamson said the documents do not stipulate the road must be open to vehicles but that has been the assumption since 1998 that it would be open to vehicles.

He said council could argue that point and has the opportunity to pursue opening the area as a greenway rather than a roadway but there would be no movement on the issue if the two other parties involved, the county and Broomall's Lake, where not also in agreement.

Council President Pete Alyanakian agreed and said the borough will speak with legal counsel and consider this option but the two other parties would have to agree to it.

In the three-way stipulation, it was agreed that the borough would conduct the reconstruction project while the county and Broomall's Lake would share the maintenance responsibilities after the project is completed.

Paul Cavanaugh, a resident and representative of Broomall's Lake, said if the agreement between the three parties were to change as far as not opening the roadway to vehicles, it would likely change Broomall's Lake position on taking on the maintenance responsibility of the dam, after the project is completed.

"I speak for the pool but if things change and the agreement changes, I’m sure that will change (the country club taking on 50 percent of the responsibility)," he said.

Alyanakian said the borough’s main priority with the bridge/dam is public safety. It currently is a serious danger to the community. But council is also in agreement that they’d like to see the smallest footprint and have the least impact on the park as well.

Harrison said the dam is in the top 10 most deficient dams in the state and it is rated as a high hazard, meaning it could potentially harm or kill someone if it were to fail.