Sara E.K. Cooper
Titusville
As residents continue to bear the burdens of Hurricane Irene, Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes has apparently gone to great lengths to make a bridge that has been closed to traffic for over two years a priority. While state officials have pressing matters in the storm aftermath to contend with, last week Mr. Hughes sought their approval for the immediate removal of the closed Jacobs Creek bridge. The cost to remove and refurbish the bridge reportedly exceeds $900,000.
This misguided priority is questionable given the number of functioning Mercer County bridges actually damaged by Irene. The closed bridge withstood the storm, while other bridges sustained significant damage and are now closed indefinitely. Examples include: The Pennington-Harbourton Road bridge and the Woosamonsa Road bridge. Mercer County infrastructure and its residents continue to suffer the effects of Irene, yet a small non-functioning bridge takes on this level of importance?
Mr. Hughes has made no secret of his intentions to remove of the Jacobs Creek bridge over the past years. The decision to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a closed bridge, while our neighbors suffer physical and financial losses, seems inappropriate. With all due respect, I request that Mr. Hughes revisit his priorities, as they appear out of sync with and insensitive to all residents of Mercer County.
