The many citizens who care about the preservation of the Milanville-Skinners Falls Bridge and took the trouble to submit comments to the email addresses provided by PennDOT, but did not complete the online Survey Monkey survey, should know that PennDOT has said that it is not considering those comments in compiling the results of its PEL study for the bridge. Among such excluded letters would presumably be ones from official bodies like the Upper Delaware Council and National Park Service supporting full rehabilitation of the bridge.

It certainly looks like PennDOT is once again trying to stack the deck in favor of its preferred outcome, which history suggests is one that ignores environmental needs and historic heritage in support of imposing massive industrial-grade projects in locations where such structures are not only unneeded but destructive.

Fortunately for those who support rehabilitation of the bridge, PennDOT cannot legally ignore the comments that it is apparently trying to exclude. On Tuesday, August 24, the attorney for Damascus Citizens for Sustainability sent a letter to PennDOT laying out the legal case. It argues in part: “Although PennDOT appears to seek to incorporate the PEL Study into a NEPA document in the future, PennDOT has failed to adhere to the federal public and agency participation standards and requirements governing the incorporation of, or reliance on, other planning documents in NEPA materials. PennDOT’s process thus far fails to comply with not only NEPA, but also the standards for public participation under Section 106 and Section 4(f).”

We encourage anyone who cares about the preservation of the bridge to contact PennDOT and let them know your concerns about the process the agency is conducting to make decisions about this bridge that will affect all of our lives, and insist on being heard.

Barbara Arrindell
Director, Damascus Citizens for Sustainability