This Penns Valley bridge needs $548k in repairs. Here’s why that matters
To an outsider, a footbridge that crosses Penns Creek in Coburn may seem unimportant. But to countless anglers, hunters, mountain bikers and others taking part in outdoor recreation at Bald Eagle State Forest in Centre County, the Coburn pedestrian bridge is an important access point.
The Coburn pedestrian bridge, also known as Fisherman’s Path, was constructed in 1879 and is a popular access point for fly anglers on Penns Creek. Between years of use and no large repairs post-1970, the bridge today can only safely handle foot traffic. Unattached planks are resting on rotting wooden railroad ties, rehab work is needed on the pier, and vegetation growth is all over.
If it were to close, it would affect not only recreation opportunities but the ability of emergency service personnel to access injured hunters or others in the state forest.
The costs to repair are estimated at $548,445, but there is no dedicated funding source for the bridge. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Deputy Secretary John Norbeck visited the Bald Eagle State Forest in Centre County Thursday to shine light on the rehabilitation needed on the Coburn pedestrian bridge. He also advocated for the use of federal recovery funds to address outdated facilities and public safety preparedness across the state.
Norbeck said this infrastructure is the typical type of the issues DCNR has. DCNR has a documented need of more than $1.4 billion for infrastructure repairs and improvements, according to a press release.
“We also have a great opportunity before us right now. In the governor’s budget, he’s calling for the legislature to approve the use of some … federal funds that came in for the American Recovery Plan Act … to do a number of environmental projects, and also to do some infrastructure work in state parks and state forests,” Norbeck said. He mentioned a House bill and a Senate bill that call for using ARPA funding to reinvest in parks and state forest infrastructure. He encouraged residents to contact their local legislators and voice their opinions and concerns.
Norbeck said this type of reinvestment is important for a number of reasons, including quality of life. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, people were out “in droves” exploring public lands, parks, forests for outdoor recreation, including fishing. Plus, the more people out and about, the more likely they are to visit local stores, like The Feathered Hook, a fly-fishing shop, lodge and guide service on Main Street in Coburn.
Tess Weigand, a partner at The Feathered Hook, said Penns Creek is a world class fishery, “unmatched anywhere in the world that I’ve fished.” Timothy Schaeffer, executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, said people come from all over to fish in Penns Creek.
“What’s cool about Penns Creek is it’s got something for everybody. There’s sections that are stocked, there’s sections where you have a wild trout fishery, you get down closer to the river and you’ll catch smallmouth bass. It just really sort of runs the gamut for fishing opportunities,” Schaeffer said.
Weigand spoke of the importance of the bridge and why the repairs are vital.
“This bridge gets so, so much use and so much traffic and is a really, really critical access point for so many anglers,” Weigand said. “Penns Creek is incredibly long. And as the summer you know, moves on, it gets warmer. And if this wasn’t here, anglers wouldn’t have this access and would perhaps go to easier access points downstream where temperatures are going to continue to increase with the summer and could pose an issue for the trout and put more concentrated pressure on those fish in other places. So this allows access to miles of water that stays colder than so much of Penns Creek down below Ingleby and Weikert.”
She said because of the bridge and access point, she is able to have a career here.
“It’s truly a world class fishery. I mean, we have people come here from literally all over the world. And just protecting the diversity of the insect species here and keeping it cold is just of the utmost importance,” Weigand said.
Plus, the access to this tract of land that emergency services, such as search and rescue, have is either Ingleby Road — which would add an hour — or coming across this bridge. Search and rescues are especially common, Matthew Beaver, district forester for the Bald Eagle State Forest said, in the fall with the hunter population.
The bridge not only gives those who are fishing access to about two miles of Penns Creek, but also for mountain bikers, Beaver said.
“This bridge was inspected for the first time in October 2021 and downgraded to foot travel only. It was very popular, especially mountain bikers that would use this rail bed through the private land, … across state forest land and into the village of Ingleby. But now they can walk their bike across it, but not ride it because of the weight restrictions,” Beaver said.
If the improvements were done, the bridge could be open to bicycle traffic, he said.
