An end is in sight to a three-decade-long debate over whose job it is to take care of an orphan bridge on Creek Road in Sandy Lake Township.

Township supervisors and PennDOT officials met Wednesday to discuss ways for the state to take over the 175-foot-long bridge that supervisors say is too large for the township to care for.

Patrick Sullivan, chief of the programs and service division for PennDOT, said the township acquired Creek Road and the bridge through an act of legislation. Though supervisors have maintained for years the bridge is not theirs because no one ever signed for it, Sullivan said when it's done in an act of legislation no signatures are required.

Normally the only way to undo an act of legislation is to pass another act, Sullivan said. However, this process could take more than a year and could get voted down, he said.

There is a loophole in the law that says the state can take over a township road if it leads into military property or state park, Sullivan said. Since Creek Road is a direct access road from state Route 173 into Goddard State Park, the loophole can be used, he said.

But there are two catches before an arrangement can officially be made, Sullivan said. One is that the township must take over maintenance of a state-maintained road.

"It's absolutely necessary that we take a road?," Supervisor Ed Olson asked. "It's not economically wise for us to take a road at all."

David T. Musser, PennDOT municipal services supervisor and district agility coordinator, said the state will be reimbursed $2,500 a mile each year to defray the cost of maintenance for whatever road is turned back to the township.

Supervisors said they would take back a portion of Booher Road.

Musser asked the supervisors if they would consider taking over winter maintenance on Creek Road because the Association of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees union doesn't want to plow the road.

The supervisors would not agree to plow the road.

Olson said there's a possibility PennDOT could arrange an agreement with Sandy Lake Borough to plow Creek Road.

The next step is to get the AFSCME union to agree to maintain Booher Road, Musser said. He said employees could have an issue with the change for several reasons, including loss of work.

Sullivan said he's going to get PennDOT's legal department to begin working on papers to take over Creek Road, and township supervisors will have to pass an ordinance to take back part of Booher Road.

Supervisors voted last week to dead-end Creek Road at either end of the bridge June 6 after school ends for the summer. They said they couldn't close the bridge itself because it's not theirs.

The bridge -- which was built by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1960's -- needs about $50,000 worth of cosmetic repairs, Olson said.

Sullivan said the bridge is structurally sound. "That's a solid bridge. It's way over-built for what's there. You'll never hurt it," he said.

Creek Road residents were concerned that closing the road would leave them cut off from the rest of the township.

kgarrett@sharon-herald.com