JACKSON TOWNSHIP - The small bridge on Ferry Street near Inch Memorial Field was knocked out of position during recent flooding, and remains closed.
The bridge, just off Route 147 near the south end of Herndon, was the subject of discussion for township supervisors Monday night.
Water from Fiddler's Run, which dumps into the Susquehanna River near the bridge, picked up the bridge and sat it back down, but cockeyed. After a visit from Northumberland County engineers, it was determined it shouldn't be used.
Approximately nine families live on the west side of the bridge, and its closure creates a 5- to 6-mile detour that uses Carl's Hill Road, which is classified for "no winter maintenance."
To complicate matters, the road starts in Jackson Township but ends along Route 147 in Lower Mahanoy Township.
Jackson Township Supervisor Chairman Verne Foreman announced that while it is not known when the bridge will be fixed, a bid opening for steel beams is expected at the county this week.
After a lengthy discussion about which ditches were being cleared out and what intersections had been cleared off, Foreman said regarding the damage done from the recent poundings of rain, "It's been a mess." Other supervisors chimed in that their backs are sore.
On a brighter note, Foreman announced that the paperwork has been completed for Tropical Storm Lee and it is estimated the township will receive $18,000 in reimbursement costs.
In other business, a new stop sign has been placed at Pennsylvania Avenue.
There was also a discussion about the possible future purchase of a skid-steer loader. Supervisors discussed the possibility of initially purchasing a base unit that would accommodate attachments, such as brooms and sweepers. The machine would be used to clean out ditches and culverts and, according to Foreman, would be "handier than a shirt with two pockets."