News

Jul 05, 2023

Delineators on Veterans Memorial Bridge getting stainless steel bolts

Robert Inglis/The Daily Item Cars drive over the Veteran's Memorial Bridge in

Robert Inglis/The Daily Item Cars drive over the Veteran's Memorial Bridge in this file photo.

SUNBURY — PennDOT is working on a solution to make the delineators stronger along Veterans Memorial Bridge.

On Friday via Zoom, Andrew Dressler, of PennDOT's Highway Maintenance for Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties, updated members of the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce Transportation about the bright yellow markers that separate opposing lanes along the river bridge between Sunbury and Shamokin Dam. The reflective posts are often being ripped out due to vehicles hitting them since they were installed in 2016.

"What we found in replacing the delineators, the bases have been failing due to rust," said Dressler. "Our most recent order and any future orders of bases and delineators will include stainless steel bolts (instead of regular steel bolts) to prevent that from occurring again. That was one of the problems we've been running into with the delineators not being as strong and the bases failing.

Dressler said they used up their current stock of delineators and are waiting for another order to arrive with additional bases, stainless steel hardware and the additional delineators. At least 35 delineators have been ripped out this year, he said.

The price of the posts has increased to $80 compared to $55 a few years ago, he said.

The delineators on the Veterans Memorial Bridge were included in a $1.5 million project completed in 2016.

The delineators are reflective posts that were installed between the four lanes of traffic. Part of the safety project on the bridge was widening the gap between the two center lanes and adding the delineators as a visual guide for drivers, officials said at the start of the project.

The posts are designed to spring back up if run over and are attached by steel cables. They were advertised to withstand a tank running over them, officials said.

Dressler theorized the weather and proximity to the river could have contributed to the deterioration of the regular steel bolts.

"Most of the bases that failed have gone through three winters at least, if not more," he said.

Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee Chair Joe McGranaghan, also the mayor of Shamokin Dam, asked Dressler if it would solve the problem of the posts not bouncing back up as they were advertised.

"I don't think that has anything to do with it," said Dressler. "That was not performing as well as the vendors demonstrated and informed us they would."

Monroe Township engineer Art Thomas, of Meck-Tech Inc., and McGranaghan questioned the feasibility of spending the money to keep replacing the posts.

"There's got to be a more economical solution somewhere," said McGranaghan. "I wish you the best of luck right now."

Northumberland County Reporter