Monroe County is starting work on a Price Township bridge, as well as two in Polk Township.

The bridge is over the Brodhead Creek on Clark Road (Township Road 533) near the intersection with Route 447.

Robert Gress, chief clerk for the county, said the bridge was built in 1956 and needs a steel I-beam replaced, wing wall work off the shoulder, and other structural repairs.

“We don’t want to close the bridge,” Gress said. “That isn’t an option.”

Gress said closing the bridge would cause a long detour. If limited access is needed during the work, then an announcement will be made.

The repairs were recommended by the county’s bridge engineer Borton-Lawson in Wilkes-Barre, a Verdantas Co. The Monroe County commissioners awarded the contract to Rylind Construction of Muncy, Pennsylvania at their meeting on Wednesday. The work will consist of repairs to this bridge, as well as a second bridge also over Brodhead Creek but in Barrett Township. It is located on Spruce Cabin Road (Township Road 606).

Rylind was one of eight companies that submitted bids for the contract. Its bid was $127,455. The other companies included CMC Inc., CriLon Corp., EF Possinger, Fabcor Inc., Mar-Allen Concrete, Minich Construction Inc. and Professional Construction. All of their bids were higher than Rylind.

“The county has a maintenance plan each year for all bridges, based on the inspection reports,” Gress said. “From the inspection reports, our engineers recommend work to be bid.”

At the commissioners meeting on Feb. 5, they accepted the proposal from CMR Construction Inc. to place temporary water-filled barriers at the bridge on Clark Road near Route 447. The barriers will run from the approach to the bridge to the other side for 218 feet, Gress said. The bridge is 71 feet long. The cost of the work for the temporary barriers is $31,250.

Also at that meeting, they accepted a proposal from Borton-Lawson (Verdantas) for engineering services to inspect nine bridges and check for overgrowth of vegetation. The cost for this work is $87,000.

These bridges include:

• Barrett Township — two bridges on Spruce Cabin Road/Township Road 606 over Brodhead Creek and over Mill Creek;

• Paradise Township — two bridges on Keoke Chapel Road/ Township Road 603, both over Paradise Creek with one at Route 191;

• Pocono Township — bridge on Old Mill Road/Township Road 537 over Pocono Creek;

• Polk Township — two bridges over Pohopoco Creek one on Whitey Drive/ Township Road 425 and one on Green Hill Road. Township Road 352;

• Price Township — one on Clark Road/Township Road 533 over Brodhead Creek near Route 447, and;

• Stroud Township — one on Fawn Road/Township Road 508 over Sambo Creeks at Route 447.

At the commissioners meeting on Wednesday, they awarded the contract for the bridge cleaning and vegetation removal to DeAngelo Contracting Services in Hazleton for $153,000.

The work includes an application of herbicide once annually and the removal of debris from the shoulders and stream channels at each waterway. The contract runs from 2025 to 2027 and includes 27 bridges. Gress said there won’t be any closures of the roads.

There were a three other companies that bid on the project. They include Burgette Excavation LLC, CD Contractor and Sons Inc., and H&P Construction Inc. DeAngelo had the lowest bid.

“DeAngelo has done this job for the past six plus years,” Gress said. “They know exactly what needs to be done and have repeatedly won the bid.”