PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
LOYALSOCK CRE EK
Bridge
Replacement
Project
Overcoming challenge after challenge
By Scott A. Sechrist, Glenn O. Hawbaker, Inc.
The Loyalsock Creek Railroad
Bridge, located in the Borough
of Montoursville, Pa. and Loyalsock
Township, Lycoming County, Pa., is
a vital link for the Lycoming Valley Railroad
(LVRR) between Williamsport and
Muncy, carrying nearly 18,000 rail cars per
year. The original six-span steel bridge was
constructed in 1927 and was substantially
damaged by floodwaters from Tropical
Storm Lee in September 2011. The bridge
was immediately taken out of service and
design of the replacement bridge initiated.
Despite the loss of the bridge, rail service
was maintained to all existing clients on
this rail line through a second, but more
distant, connection to the Norfolk Southern
Railroad. The additional costs for this
detour were borne by the bridge owner,
SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority (JRA)
and its private operator, the LVRR.
The LVRR is one of six short-line
railroads owned by JRA and operated by
the North Shore Railroad Company, making
it one of the nation’s earliest examples
of a public-private partnership. The JRA
was established in 1983 to preserve rail
lines targeted for abandonment in Central
Pennsylvania in order to continue and
expand rail service to private industries that
relied on these services. Today, the authority
manages over 200 miles of track in
eight counties and provides service to over
80 customers, which employ over 8,000
people.
The LVRR is an integral part of this
system and serves over 40 industries in
Lycoming and Clinton Counties. The
LVRR is an important supply line for companies
pursuing natural gas exploration
in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale region,
hauling frac sand and transporting other
products used by the gas industry. The
LVRR also assists local industries with the
shipment of a wide array of finished and
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