Pennsylvania panel awards grant to Reading & Northern bridge project

A bridge project for the Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad will receive a second $5 million grant from the Pennsylvania State Transportation Commission, the railroad announced yesterday.

Known as the Nesquehoning Bridge Phase II, the $14 million project in Carbon County, Pa., will create a connection between the railroad's two divisions and provide a direct route from Philadelphia to Binghamton, N.Y., railroad officials said in a press release.

The project entails construction of a new three-span bridge across the Leigh River in Nesquehoning and the construction of 1,200 feet of new track, according to a report in the Standard-Speaker newspaper.

The railroad's success is tied to economy of the communities it serves, and the new bridge will contribute to the area's economic growth, said Chief Executive Officer Andrew Muller Jr.

"This new transportation infrastructure will create a stronger economic base for Carbon, Luzerne, Schuylkill and Berks counties, not to mention the eastern portion of our commonwealth," he said.