Meadville’s Mead Avenue Bridge may find a new home not far from where it currently sits, if construction of a new bridge at the current site is ultimately approved.

Once removed from its current location, the historic bridge could become part of Ernst Trail under a proposal submitted by Owen Beachy of The EADS Group, Crawford County’s contracted engineering firm. The proposal was announced at Tuesday’s work session of the county commissioners.

Beachy presented a letter to commissioners asking for support to possibly re-use the bridge to go over Mill Run and connect Ernst Trail — a popular hiking-biking lane — to nearby Bicentennial Park. Currently, the trail ends near Bean’s Service Station on Route 322, but plans are to expand it. Bean’s and Bicentennial Park are a little more than a mile apart, and access across Mill Run would be needed. Mill Run flows through Meadville and feeds into French Creek near the park.

Although the trail isn’t officially positioned in Kerrtown, Vernon Township has worked with Dad’s Products, and an unofficial trail has been developed and picnic tables installed to allow trail users to access the area behind Dad’s, according to Commissioner Morris Waid.

Waid said plans would be to extend the trail, eventually crossing Mercer Street Bridge from Cussewago Road (using that bridge’s pedestrian walkway) and then turning left and into the area near the soccer fields across from Seco/Warwick, then over Mill Run and into Bicentennial Park.

However, he said, there are different options that can be explored to gain access to the park.

Beach told commissioners the Ernst Trail group is “trying to get technical assistance to help them” develop further planning. Application deadline for the assistance is Aug. 1, which was why he had to make the request Tuesday.

Since commissioners won’t have a formal meeting before that date, they chose to approve the letter and ratify it at the next meeting, Aug. 7.

In the meantime, Beachy said both the Citizens Advisory Committee and county commissioners have voiced their support for replacement of the bridge at its current location.

That support was sent in a letter of recommendation to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for its approval.

The CAC was formed in January 2006 to identify and discuss issues of common concern regarding the bridge.

Originally a wooden bridge, it was built at Mead Avenue in 1828. It was replaced with a steel truss Whipple bridge in 1871 by Penn Bridge Works of New Brighton. In 1907, the bridge was condemned as unsafe to carry trolley cars. In 1912, the original Whipple trusses were reinforced by grafting Baltimore trusses to the outside of the bridge to improve load-carrying capacity.

Because of its age and unique engineering significance/construction, the bridge was determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. This county bridge, although posted with a 4-ton weight limit, was carrying approximately 4,500 cars per day over French Creek.

It was closed March 23, 2007, because of structural and safety issues and remains closed.