Bradford County’s Cons Road bridge is the first completed project in an $18 million Pennsylvania program to rehabilitate eight locally owned historic metal truss bridges, PennDOT announced October 6.
The county-owned bridge carries Cons Road over Towanda Creek in Franklin Township. Its $641,000 repair project began in spring 2026 and was completed during the summer. The Tuesday announcement recognizes that work; it does not announce a new reopening this week.
Minichi, Inc. was the prime contractor. The work included repairs to the abutments and steel, along with bridge cleaning and painting.
Built in 1904, County Bridge No. 13 is the oldest of five remaining Double-Intersecting Warren Truss bridges in Pennsylvania, according to the Bradford County commissioners’ statement included in the announcement. The bridge is 91.4 feet long.
The Historic Metal Truss Bridge Capital Rehabilitation Program began in 2023. It uses federal funding to extend the useful lives of historic structures while keeping them available for transportation.
PennDOT, the Federal Highway Administration and the State Historic Preservation Office select bridges for the program. The effort focuses on locally owned bridges whose owners will work with transportation and preservation partners.
Officials say more than half of Pennsylvania’s historic metal truss bridges have been lost in the past two decades. The program also seeks to help with projects that relocate historic trusses for pedestrian or bicycle use when they can no longer carry heavier vehicles.
The Cons Road project brings together Bradford County’s preservation efforts and the statewide rehabilitation program. PennDOT says that partnership is intended to preserve transportation heritage while maintaining useful local connections.
