Coudersport bridge closing in July

Downtown Coudersport is bracing for the closing this summer of the Specialist Mike Franklin Memorial Bridge, which carries U.S. Rt. 6 over the Allegheny River on Coudersport's East Second Street.

Originally, replacement of the bridge was to be put up for bids in the fall, with work to begin in early 2008.

Under the Pa. Dept. of Transportation's new time- table, bids are due by late May and work could begin as early as July and continue an estimated six months.

A project of this magnitude will have many ramifications. Traffic that would normally pass through the Coudersport business district westbound on Rt. 6 will be re-routed on a detour that includes Mill Street.

Eastbound Rt. 6 traffic will also be detoured prior to reaching the Main Street Bridge, unless the motorist intends to connect with northbound Rt. 44-49 at the traffic signal at the intersection of Main and Second streets.

The new bridge will carry the same name as the current structure. It was dedicated last October to Specialist Michael Franklin, a Coudersport native who was killed by a roadside bomb in 2005 while serving his nation in Iraq.