Ross Brown, co-owner of Wrought Iron Bridge Works of New Jersey, disassembles part of the Red Mill Bridge in Blacklick Township, Cambria County. Demolition of the bridge — built in 1895, but closed to traffic for over a decade — began Tuesday. Mirror photo by Calem Illig

BELSANO — A historic iron bridge that crosses North Branch Blacklick Creek and has been closed for years is now being torn down.

Demolition began Tuesday on the Red Mill Bridge in Blacklick Township. County officials said it marked the first step toward revitalizing infrastructure in rural Cambria County.

“The bridge is being disassembled, and then it will be stored for potential use in Cambria County or within Pennsylvania,” said Ethan Imhoff, executive director of the Cambria County Planning Commission.

Imhoff said the bridge has been closed for 10 years and is considered a safety risk.

“There are several parts of the bridge that are severely deteriorated,” he said, noting that several areas are rusted out.

The bridge was inspected by PennDOT and Keller Engineers and was deemed a hazard.

Demolition of the bridge was approved in October under an emergency order from county commissioners.

The commissioners previously approved a $125,000 bid from Wrought Iron Bridge Works of New Jersey to remove the bridge, which has been closed for traffic since 2009. The contractor has 60 days to complete the demolition.

“Our engineers tell us that our bridge is beyond repairable condition,” Imhoff said. “Certainly we’ll learn more as we take down the bridge, but with the stone that has fallen into the river and the parts of the bridge that have rusted out, our engineer said the bridge will likely not be able to be put back in its place.”

Because the original bridge will not be installed, drafts are currently under development for a replacement, which is expected to cost about $1.5 million, Imhoff said.

Built in 1895, the 89-foot Pratt through truss bridge was deemed a historic bridge by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It was built by Variety Iron Works of Cleveland, Ohio, according to online records.

Imhoff said that the historic value of the bridge has not been taken lightly, adding that Keller Engineering is investigating ways to incorporate parts of the old bridge into the new one.

The bridge project is being funded with Act 89 funds, which allows counties to collect a $5 tax on vehicle registrations.

Cambria County President Commissioner Tom Chernisky said Cambria was the seventh county in the state to adopt Act 89, and since approving the act in 2016, the county has rehabilitated or replaced 10 structurally deficient bridges.

Demolition is scheduled to end by March, and while the construction portion of the project has not been put out to bid, county officials are hoping the project will be completed by the end of the year.

“Our intention is to have either a new or rehabilitated bridge completed by 2022,” Imhoff said.

While the bridge on Red Mill Road has been out of commission for 10 years, officials said replacing it will make it easier for local farmers to access land and will allow for a faster response for emergency vehicles. Both ends of the road connect to Route 422.

Mirror Staff Writer Calem Illig is at 814-946-7535.