On April 27, State Senator Jim Ferlo (D-Pittsburgh) announced a $1,250,000 Department of Community & Economic Development Infrastructure Development Program (IDP) grant for a bridge replacement project in Vandergrift, Westmoreland County.

“This bridge replacement project will allow a local company, MSI Incorporated, to expand its current operations and further develop acreage along the Kiski River in Vandergrift,” said Ferlo.

The current single-lane bridge is not suited for heavy volumes of commercial traffic.

The Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corporation (WCIDC) formally applied for the grant on behalf of MSI Inc. Discussions with Norfolk Southern Corporation and the Pennsylvania Utility Commission are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks to secure the necessary public right of way easements for the new bridge.

“Securing this grant has resulted from extensive cooperation between county and borough officials, MSI, and the WCIDC. This is precisely the kind of project this program was designed for.”

MSI, who will be the primary benefactor of the new county owned bridge, is a specialty metals processor whose clients include prime contractors doing business with the US Department of Defense. Currently MSI has roughly 40 employees and will be required to create as many jobs over the next five years as a condition of the grant.

Ferlo noted, “The new two-lane bridge opens the door for the creation of a master plan for green, recreation and appropriate commercial uses for the 20 acres of under-utilized property”