SPEAKMAN: A long-awaited project begins

Can you believe it? After years of delay and controversy, repair work has FINALLY started on the Speakman #1 covered bridge on Frog Hollow Road! (It has been closed to traffic for seven years after an oversized truck severely damaged it.)
I drove over there to witness this Christmas miracle and watched as a guy on a scissors lift was dismantling the bridge from the inside while other Eastern Highway Specialists workers were busy clearing trees and brush from around the site. The project should be finished, and the long-closed Frog Hollow Road reopened, by September 2016.
One worker came over to say hello and told me he loves working in such beautiful surroundings. "I could listen to this all day," he said, gesturing toward the babbling Doe Run. (Of course, it was in the 50s and sunny; he may change his tune when it gets chillier.) He said it's hard to believe that such unspoiled areas still exist.
Here are the details of the project, according to the contractor:
"We plan to start on December 14th. The beginning work will be the erosion control, clearing etc. Then, within a couple of weeks, we will begin the removal work on the wooden bridge structure.

 ·        The wood portion of the covered bridge will be dismantled. It will be removed from the site and taken to the warehouse of Lancaster County Timber Frame (LCTF) who will do the rehabilitation work on the timber trusses and associated structural timber. In conjunction with this we have hired Rettew Associates, an experienced engineering firm, to inspect the timber and determine if any additional replacement is necessary.

 ·        During the winter months LCTF will be doing the timber rehabilitation. During this time we (EHS) will remove the remaining structure and the two abutments. We will then begin the reconstruction of the abutments. The new abutments will be modern cast in place and reinforced concrete but will have stone masonry veneer or stone walls on the exterior. In the end, the new structure will be encased in true stone masonry. One of the local masons, Dan Gallagher, will be doing the stone masonry work.

Men at work on the Speakman #1 covered bridge.

 ·        The new covered bridge structure will be supported by new steel beams which will be erected on the new abutments. This work is expected to take place in late spring of 2016. After this the covered  bridge will re-erected on the site."