WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey swung through the Lehigh Valley on Tuesday morning, highlighting the recently started replacement of the Cementon Bridge as one of the improvements people will begin to see from the rollout of the 2021 $1 trillion infrastructure bill.
The federal government will shoulder about $22.5 million of the total $32.3 million cost to replace the 90-year-old span linking Lehigh and Northampton counties over the Lehigh River.
- PennDOT has begun constructing the replacement to the Cementon Bridge over the Lehigh River
- U.S. Sen. Bob Casey said the 2021 $1 trillion infrastructure bill allowed the federal government to contribute $32.3 million toward the project
- It was Casey's first visit to the Lehigh Valley since he announced last month that he will seek a fourth term in 2024
The historic bridge has been in poor condition for years, but it continued to age in place as PennDOT and local governments fixed more problematic bridges in the region such as the Coplay-Northampton Bridge just downstream and the Hamilton Street Bridge in Allentown.
Standing in a parking lot alongside the bridge, Casey said that for a generation, the federal government had only invested the bare minimum to maintain America's infrastructure. But by putting off projects that are important to local communities, he said, politicians in Washington have put jobs, safety and the economy on the back burner.
'Long overdue'
Taxpayers rightfully expect more of an investment from national leaders, he said, and America cannot expect to remain a superpower if it doesn't take care of essentials like this.
"This is long overdue," Casey said. "There's no reason in the world why the most powerful country in the history of the human race shouldn't be able to fix a bridge between Lehigh County and Northampton County."
"There's no reason in the world why the most powerful country in the history of the human race shouldn't be able to fix a bridge between Lehigh County and Northampton County."U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.
Casey said he supported the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act because it would improve highways, invest in new water and sewer projects, create thousands of construction jobs and bring high-speed Internet to countless Americans.
The Cementon Bridge carries more than 15,000 vehicles a day between the township to Northampton Borough, according to the Federal Highway Administration. The 575-foot steel truss bridge has been in poor condition since at least 1999; the National Bridge Inventory's online database does not provide information prior to that year.
The Cementon Bridge project is expected to take five years to complete. A new bridge will be constructed to the immediate south of the existing one, and Route 329 will be rerouted to carry traffic alongside the new one. Once that's in place, construction crews will begin to dismantle the current bridge — historic bridges like this are available at auction, though interest is usually limited for spans of this size, PennDOT spokesman Ron Young said.
To accommodate the new route, PennDOT has had to purchase an abandoned home, a decrepit garage unit and a large municipal shed. The garage has already been demolished.
Another run
Casey has not been shy about visiting the Lehigh Valley; he toured a local semiconductor manufacturer in March. But voters may be seeing more of him in the months ahead.
Last month, Casey announced he will seek a fourth term in the Senate next year. The 62-year-old Scranton native underwent successful surgery for prostate cancer in February and returned to work shortly afterward.
As a battleground state, Pennsylvania's Senate seats are highly coveted, but Casey has been close to a sure thing for Democrats. The son of former Gov. Bob Casey Sr., the younger Casey joined the Senate in 2006 by routing incumbent Rick Santorum by more than 17 points. Casey last won re-election in 2018 by defeating former Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta by 13 points.
While no Republicans have formally entered the race, state Sen. Doug Mastriano has openly mused about challenging Casey. He told Politico in March that he is praying about entering the 2024 race. Mastriano won a crowded GOP gubernatorial primary last year but was clobbered in the general election; the large margin indicated many independents and rank-and-file Republicans instead supported Democrat Josh Shapiro.
Democrats are also anticipating that Republican Dave McCormick, a retired hedge fund manager, will enter the race. McCormick finished second in Pennsylvania's 2022 GOP Senate primary and has deep pockets capable of supporting a well-funded campaign. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee created a brochure featuring attacks on McCormick from other Republicans, including former President Donald Trump and former primary opponents Kathy Barnette and Carla Sands.
