Bedford County bridge memorializes local veterans

BEDFORD COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Right off Salemville Road in South Woodbury Township, one bridge over Beaver Creek needed repairs.

The bridge affected local farmers like Allen Detwiler, who had trouble doing his job because of the overpass. Detwiler wasn’t alone either, many farmers had the same troubles.

“We have machinery that goes across this bridge and the previous bridge was approximately 10 feet wide,” Detwiler said. “We had difficulty moving equipment back and forth across the bridge.”

When hearing the residents voice their concerns with the Golden Run Bridge, the township Board of Supervisors stepped in and helped out the residents.

“Due to the geography and the water runoff that has changed over the years, we wanted it to be completed, so that it would take care of things for quite a while,” John Hileman, chairman of the South Woodbury Township Board of Supervisors, said.

After several years of discussion, the construction went underway last summer. The project was funded by money that helped out communities recover and rebuild from COVID-19 shutdowns.

Once the permitting and design was finished by Keller Engineering, the bridge took around one year to complete. The biggest update was the width of the bridge, to which the crews made it 12 feet wider, now making the width 22 feet wide.

“The idea of having a wider, larger bridge was very good and acceptable,” Detwiler said.

After construction finished, the board received many requests suggesting names for the bridge. The majority coming from families who had their loved ones serve in the armed forces.

“We had a fair amount of requests, and how do you sort through these requests to pick out someone more deserving than everyone else?” Hileman said. “That’s not a good position to be in.”

The board had discussions on who to choose when it came to commemorating this bridge. However, they unanimously decided to choose all of them instead of choosing one veteran.

“We elected to dedicate [the bridge] to all of the South Woodbury Township veterans,” Hileman said. “That includes everyone and didn’t leave anybody out. That was the objective.”

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Once the name of the bridge was finalized, the township held a dedication ceremony right outside of the location. Everybody got a chance to hear from those who were involved in Golden Rule Memorial Bridge’s construction, including officials who pushed for the project.

“This is pretty special,” Pennsylvania State Representative Jesse Topper, R-78th, said. “This is unique. I’ve not had this where a local municipality has done this yet in my tenure. Usually it’s whether it’s working with PennDOT of the state, but you saw the priority in this, and to recognize how important it is to celebrate our veterans and celebrate their sacrifices.”

Other than Representative Topper making an appearance, Bedford County Commissioner JR Winck had a few words to say.

“It’s important to celebrate these moments,” Winck said. “These are important to our community. They’re important to our history and what we stand for.”

The bridge now stands on the road that Detwiler calls home. He now drives his tractor over the bridge and sees the practicality and patriotism that it bears. More work is on the way for the bridge. After talking with the board of supervisors, they said that they plan to repave Golden Rule Road, which the board projects to be done before the fall.

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