Friday, April 27, 2007
MERCER, Pa. -- Replacement of a bridge on Riggs Road, Shenango Township, is slated to begin in late summer.
Mercer County commissioners approved advertising for bids for replacing the bridge when they met Thursday. County Engineer Mark Miller said he expects construction to begin in late July and be finished by October. The job will be paid for with state and federal funds.
Miller said the bridge is in poor condition and had a temporary deck replacement several years ago to keep it open until funds were available for replacement.
Also, commissioners adopted a resolution asking Congress to place a moratorium on new free-trade agreements and to review current fair-trade agreements and policies to insure those are in the best interest of U.S. citizens. Commissioner Brian Beader said Armstrong County commissioners passed such a resolution and are encouraging the 20 counties in the Northwest County Commissioners Association to do the same.
The Pew Research Center for People and the Press, a Washington research group, released a survey in December 2006 showing that nearly half of Americans believe free-trade agreements help citizens of developing countries but lead to job losses and lower wages here.
Commissioners also passed a resolution at the request of local AFL-CIO members, to support the employee Free Choice Act "to protect and preserve for America's workers their freedom to choose for themselves whether or not to form a union." That bill, which seeks to protect workers' rights to form unions, was introduced March 29 in the U.S. Senate.