The northwest region of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) was awarded a communication honor for its video documenting the preservation of the exceptionally historic Messerall truss bridge in Crawford County.
The 12-minute video was recognized by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) through its nationwide Transportation Communication (TransComm) committee as the national skill award honoree in the category Video: Long Form.
In 2021 and 2022, PennDOT partnered with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and Crawford County government to remove, rehabilitate, and relocate the metal truss bridge that once carried Messerall Road over Pine Creek in Oil Creek Township.
The bridge was built in 1876 and was formerly owned by Crawford County. It was closed in 1987 due to safety issues from extensive deterioration. On August 10, 2021, it was removed, disassembled, and taken to a blacksmith shop to be repaired. In September 2022, it was reassembled on site, and put into place along the trail over Linesville Creek as part of the expanded bike trail system connecting Pymatuning State Park and Linesville Borough.
To document the process, PennDOT District 1 press officer Jill Harry and then regional digital team member Hannah Formica created "Preservation Through Partnerships: Messerall Truss Bridge." Among the topics covered in the video are why the bridge is exceptionally historic, how it was identified for the trail project, the inter-agency and external partnerships involved, the preservation process, and how the bridge was restored to modified service. The video features historic pictures of the bridge, footage of the removal and relocation, interviews with PennDOT employees, consultants, and partners, and a section on the hot rivet method used to reassemble the structure.
"This project offered a unique and important opportunity for PennDOT and the DCNR to partner for the benefit of various communities all at once," said Brian McNulty, P.E., PennDOT District 1 Executive. "The DCNR was able to enhance a popular stretch of trail that users have been requesting for a long time. Crawford County was able to pass on a closed bridge so it could be preserved in a new location. And PennDOT was able to facilitate the sometimes-complicated construction process that accompanies historic structures and trail creation for the benefit of the community here in Linesville, as well as the thousands of visitors the park receives every year. Through the video, we were able to take the project a step further and educate the public about PennDOT's preservation and partnership efforts."
Along with Harry, Formica, and McNulty, other PennDOT employees who contributed significantly to the video production were Don Burden, Historic Preservation Specialist; Marcus Cramer, P.E., Project Manager; Courtney Lyle, Planning and Programming Manager; and Saxon Daugherty, Safety Press Officer. The video also features interviews with Dan Bickel, Pymatuning State Park Manager; Brandon Newpher. P.E., and Dawn Shilling, P.E., design consultant McCormick Taylor; and Dan Pearce, inspection consultant QES Pavements.
It is the fourth award for the Pymatuning Trail Extension and Messerall Truss Bridge Relocation project. Earlier this year, it was named the American State Highway Employees (ASHE) Franklin 2022 Project of the Year in the under $3 million category. On May 18, the project was awarded the ABCD Pittsburgh 2022 Project of the Year in the Special Purpose Structure Category during a ceremony in Carnegie, PA; as well as being named an Oil Region Historic Preservation Award honoree in the Structure Category.
"This project was a labor of love for PennDOT and our partners. Knowing all the unique challenges and processes we faced during the design, disassembly, and reassembly of the bridge makes receiving these honors even more meaningful," said Tom McClelland, P.E., Assistance District Executive - Design. "It is certainly a project our team takes pride in both for the importance of preservation and the success of our partnerships."
The video is available through PennDOT's YouTube Channel or by following the link www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElG14pUBb10&t=3s.
The TransComm Skills Contest is conducted annually to recognize the outstanding work of its public relations practitioners and facilitate an exchange of ideas. The contest is considered the premier competition in the transportation industry and the awards have become a standard of public relations excellence among state departments of transportation. Winners demonstrate the very best examples of innovation, planning, production, execution, and evaluation of results and budget.
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Contact: Jill Harry, 814-678-5035 or jharry@pa.gov
