$56M project will see historic Layton Iron Bridge replaced

A complex 17-section span will be constructed at the site near Perryopolis.

By PATRICK VARINE
TribLive

Bryan Kibe of Perry Township has plenty of memories tied to the historic Layton Iron Bridge that crosses the Youghiogheny River just outside of Perryopolis.

“I used to jump off of it and climb all over it,” said Kibe 62, who grew up in nearby Whitsett. “When I was younger, I did a lot of partying by the river underneath the bridge.”

Kibe said he and his friends used to call the areas under the bridge “teenage wasteland,” a reference to a lyric about youthful abandon in “Baba O’Riley” by The Who.

Kibe lives in the small Perry neighborhood of Layton in Fayette County that’s hemmed in by a large hillside to the north, and the river to the south.

Michael Bise, owner of Bise’s Garage, has his shop and home in Layton, and has lived near the bridge for about 35 years. He didn’t think Kibe’s youthful habit of jumping off the bridge was the greatest idea.

“There’s really only one place that’s deep enough to jump — out there in the middle of the bridge,” Bise said.

Neither Bise nor Kibe have plans to jump into the Yough anytime soon, but the historic iron bridge and accompanying tunnel is a crucial access point for people in the neighborhood.

“My wife uses it once a day, and when it’s closed, I lose business,” Bise said.

He and others were happy to find out that the current bridge will remain open while Penn-DOT contractors undertake a $56 million project to replace it over the next two years.

Between May 11-15, daytime closures will take place between 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. while bridge inspections take place. A detour will route drivers back to Layton Road.

Jeremy Hughes, assistant district executive for design for PennDOT District 12, said he’s been working on the Layton Iron Bridge in one form or another for the entire 18 years he’s worked in the department.

“We actually have a maintenance contract that’s solely related to the maintenance of the bridge,” Hughes said.

The Layton Iron Bridge was built at the end of the 19th century, and went into operation in 1899, according to Hughes.

In 1933, it was converted to a single-lane bridge only wide enough for one car at a time to pass.

Over the years, Hughes said it has deteriorated to the point where even maintenance has become difficult.

“The fact that it started as (railroad) bridge designed for massively heavy loads is one of the traps you can kind of fall into,” he said. “In the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s there wasn’t much maintenance happening at all, and the bridge’s weight ratings were dropping. But it was a situation where it went from 300 tons down to 100 tons.

“That doesn’t make any difference for everyday vehicles — the heaviest commercial vehicle weight rating in Pennsylvania is 40 tons — but in the big scheme of things, that’s some significant deterioration.”

Hughes said designing the replacement bridge is one of the most complex projects on which he’s worked.

There are 17 spans — sections of the bridge that run between each vertical support column — across its length.

“You also have not one but two curves in the bridge,” he said. “And the ends of the curve don’t match up with the piers.

“The whole design process has probably made this the most complex bridge I’ve worked on.”

Pam Molnar, 74, of Perry Township, suspects that her kids spent a fair amount of time playing on and around the bridge when they were growing up.

For Molnar, its importance is access.

“That bridge is our connection,” she said. “When they shut it down, it’s about 25 minutes to go around and get back across the river.”

Molnar said she’s particularly thankful for the traffic light installed last summer that helps regulate two-way traffic on the one-lane bridge.

Hughes said the most rewarding part of the project is keeping access available for nearby residents.

“We have to take it out of service at least once a year to work on it, and that creates a lot of difficulty if you live in Layton,” he said. “Being able to design it in a way that will allow us to keep traffic flowing on the old bridge is very gratifying.”

Hughes said work on the replacement bridge will begin in February, and will continue to the second half of 2028. The project will also include work on nearby roads and smaller bridges in the area that cross Washington’s Run.

“Being able to take that whole corridor and improve on it is the best part,” Hughes said, “because we’re able to do right by the people who live there and use it most.”