NEW CASTLE If lights last, Grant Street span will be open for pedestrians

A walkway for the bridge will cost about $1,400.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The Grant Street bridge will be reopened to pedestrians as long as vandals don't strike.
City council members agreed to plans to construct a pedestrian walkway and have street lights fixed on the structure. It has been closed to motor vehicles and pedestrians since April.
But council members say the bridge will remain open only if vandals keep away from the street lights.
"I would say as soon as the lights are gone, we close it up. You can only take a chance with the city's insurance and liability for so long," Councilwoman Christine Sands said.
Ron Rizzo of RAR Engineering Group Inc., New Castle, the city's engineer, said Penn Power has agreed to replace broken street lights on the bridge at no cost to the city. But the city will be charged for any future damage to the lights, he said.
Council members suggested nearby residents form a neighborhood watch to keep vandals from the bridge.
Project costs
Rizzo said it should cost about $1,400 to construct the walkway. There was no estimate of when it would be completed.
Engineers recommended that the city close the bridge after determining there were spots where a vehicle could fall through. City officials plan to replace the nearly 100-year-old bridge, but construction likely won't occur for a few years.
The bridge spans the Shenango River in the downtown area. Motorists and pedestrians must now use Sampson and Falls streets to cross the river.