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Beyond repair: Families fear removal of Jugtown Bridge would leave no safe way out of area

By Rachel Foor 5 min read

FREEDOM TWP -- A community of more than 40 families has voiced concern over the possibility that the bridge that spans the Juniata River -- connecting them to Everett Road and Dunnings Highway -- will be removed, leaving them with only one "unsafe road" as their way out.

The 70-year-old, one-lane steel-construction Jugtown Bridge is county-owned and is believed to have been salvaged from an old railroad bridge, Amy Webster, Blair County commissioner and liaison for highways and bridges, wrote in an early December email. The bridge is located at the end of Mountain Road in Freedom Township, about 1.5 miles south of East Freedom and 3.5 miles north of Claysburg.

"The county has been routinely adding steel plates and doing repairs to keep the bridge open," Webster wrote. "Due to the condition of the bridge, the current board of commissioners has been considering options for how to proceed with the bridge."

On the two beams running the length of the bridge's underside are plates of steel, each section reinforcing the structure. The beams are covered in the plates -- in some spots two or three deep -- as residents say the bridge can no longer be repaired.

Webster wrote that they had been given two options: the bridge could be replaced with a new, two-lane bridge or the bridge could be removed and replaced by a cul-de-sac "for turns for people who might be traveling" along Mountain Road.

Deb Miller, a resident of what is known as the Jugtown area since 1972, said that a part of the community only became aware of the situation when some of them received a letter dated Oct. 20, 2023, informing them of a "Public Plans Display" on Oct. 30.

The purpose of the display was to "ensure that interested members of the public have an opportunity to attend and participate through this open house format" in regards to the two options for the bridge, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Mirror.

"There were like six of us that didn't get the meeting letter," Miller said. "I think it was just people who didn't own properties. I don't know how they can pick and choose, but you can't pick and choose when you have over 40 families back here."

Her son, Gregg Miller, said many people who lived along Mountain Road also did not receive the letter and only knew to attend the meeting because he went door to door to inform them.

Webster wrote that the commissioners had held two meetings to date: one with public officials and the Oct. 30 meeting with the public. There will be a third meeting, but the date has not been announced.

According to documents obtained by the Mirror, the total proposed project costs to replace the bridge would be about $3.386 million. Construction on the two-lane bridge would be anticipated to begin in 2028 and have a 50-year lifecycle maintenance cost of $500,000. The total proposed project costs to remove Jugtown Bridge and build the cul-de-sac would be about $735,000. If the commissioners decide to move forward with the cul-de-sac option, the construction would begin almost immediately.

"We are gathering all the information, and will be analyzing it in 2024," Webster wrote. "No decisions have been made as to which option to pursue."

The main concern residents have with the second option of removing Jugtown Bridge altogether is safety. Everett Road and Dunnings Highway run parallel to the river that the bridge crosses, making them about 350 feet away from the closest residence in the small community.

Rick Walter, a Jugtown-area resident, has his nephew with cerebral palsy living with him.

"We have vans coming out five days a week to pick him up and drop him off," Walter said. "Instead of crossing the bridge, they would have to travel the Mountain Road. It's longer and more dangerous coming that way."

From Jugtown Bridge to the end of Mountain Road is about two miles, Walter said.

Deb Miller described the road as narrow, windy, with blind turns, open ditches on either side and deer crossings.

"This is not a pleasant road to drive in the winter," resident Helen Haney said. "They haven't called (it) a Mountain Road for nothing."

Due to weight restrictions, as Mountain Road has a limit of 12 tons while Jugtown Bridge has 18 tons, fire trucks, ambulances, school buses, garbage haulers and others could have trouble reaching the community, Walter said.

"I just feel safer with the trucks and ambulances (crossing the bridge) because there's nobody back here with medical training if something were to happen," Deb Miller said. "I don't feel safe with that bridge being shut off."

Gregg Miller said that Webster campaigned on improving road conditions in the county, but "getting rid of things does not improve them."

"A two-lane bridge would be an improvement," Miller said. "Getting rid of that bridge, you're creating another problem, you're not improving anything."

Miller added that the new bridge would belong to the county, while the cul-de-sac would belong to the township.

"At the meeting, we also said about the Mountain Road and how it is in the winter and stuff and they basically said 'well that's a township problem,'" Miller said. "You're gonna stick us with that problem, you know. They have a solution to the problem at the moment."

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor is at 814-946-7458.

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