Pennsylvania redevelopment authority receives $1 million grant for bridge demolition

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development awarded a $1 million grant to the Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority for the demolition of the Coxton Bridge in Exeter, a report by the Citizens’ Voice says. The redevelopment authority owns the former railroad bridge.

The grant is part of the 2013 Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery program, which the redevelopment authority voted to apply for in early 2017. The bridge is deteriorating and officials fear it may collapse into the Susquehanna River below it, the report says. The collapse would cause a dam that could flood low-lying areas in Exeter and Duryea.

The bridge was previously owned by LAG Wrecking Inc., Duryea, which is owned by Leo Glodzik. The company purchased the bridge from the authority in 2007 for $500. The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) inspected the bridge in 2014 and said it was in a “state of decay.” According to the report, the DEP ordered LAG Wrecking to either rebuild or stabilize it, but the company didn’t perform any repairs.

In February 2017, Glodzik’s sister Pilar agreed to transfer ownership of the bridge back to the redevelopment authority so it could be demolished. Glodizk is currently serving a 30-month prison sentence on unrelated charges.