Bridgeville Borough Council finally gave up asking Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway to repair a dangerous sidewalk in the railroad’s right of way.
After many months of hearing the privately-owned railroad company say “no” to fixing the sidewalk, council decided last week that the borough will just pay to have the sidewalk repaired.
The project will cost about $47,000, according to the borough engineer.
Bridgeville will send a bill to the railroad when the work is complete, but nobody seemed especially optimistic that Bridgeville would be reimbursed. In a letter to the borough, Wheeling & Lake Erie cited federal railroad exemptions and said, essentially, that the sidewalk wasn’t their problem.
Parts of the walkway aren’t even a sidewalk anymore. It’s just a collection of dirt and holes which turn into large puddles during summer rains, then freeze over like small ponds during the winter.
Many pedestrians who encounter the sidewalk choose to take their chances walking among the vehicles on Washington Avenue rather than try to negotiate the sidewalk.