Pennsylvania Act 2015-3 — VARIOUS DESIGNATIONS IN VARIOUS COUNTIES

Act text

An Act

Designating the interchange of State Route 43 at the Mon-Fayette Expressway Interchange with State Route 88, known as Exit 28, in Washington County as the Marine Cpl. Thomas R. Matty Memorial Interchange; designating a bridge on that portion of State Route 1013, known as Knupp Road, over the Hypocrite Creek, Fairfield Township, Westmoreland County, as the PFC LeRoy D. "Whitey" Schaller Bridge; designating a portion of State Route 711 in New Florence Borough through St. Clair Township, Westmoreland County, as the Veterans Highway; designating a bridge on that portion of State Route 88 over Muddy Creek, Cumberland Township, Greene County, as the Army Corporal Richard W. Kowalewski, Jr., Memorial Bridge; designating the bridge carrying U.S. Route 322 over the east branch of the Brandywine Creek in West Bradford and East Caln Townships, Chester County, as the Robbie and Ryan Miller Memorial Bridge; designating the bridge located on State Route 34 that connects the banks of the Juniata River in Newport, Perry County, as the Paul Reider bridge; and designating a portion of State Route 2029 and 2049, also known as Bath Road, in Bristol Township, Bucks County, as the Sergeant George Stuckey Memorial Road.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Marine Cpl. Thomas R. Matty Memorial Interchange.

(a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:

(1) Thomas Richard Matty was born on October 4, 1945, in Denbo, Pennsylvania.

(2) Thomas R. Matty was a 1963 graduate of Bethlehem Center High School where he excelled in many sports, especially baseball. He received a business administration degree from the Educational Institute of Pittsburgh in 1965.

(3) Thomas R. Matty enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1966. He attended boot camp training at Parris Island and additional training at Camp Lejeune and at El Toro, California. He arrived in Vietnam on November 9, 1967.

(4) Marine Cpl. Thomas R. Matty made the ultimate sacrifice for his country when he was killed in the vicinity of Quang Nam Province in South Vietnam on December 21, 1967, at 22 years of age.

(5) Bethlehem Center High School continues to honor Marine Cpl. Thomas R. Matty by giving an award to a senior class member in his honor.

(b) Designation.--The interchange of State Route 43 in Washington County at the Mon-Fayette Expressway Interchange with State Route 88, known as Exit 28, is hereby designated the Marine Cpl. Thomas R. Matty Memorial Interchange.

(c) Signs.--The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission shall erect and maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the interchange.

Section 2. PFC LeRoy D. "Whitey" Schaller Memorial Bridge.

(a) Designation.--The bridge located on State Route 1013, known as Knupp Road, over the Hypocrite Creek, in Fairfield Township, Westmoreland County, is hereby designated the PFC LeRoy D. "Whitey" Schaller Bridge.

(b) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the bridge to traffic in both directions on the bridge.

Section 3. Veterans Highway.

(a) Designation.--The portion of State Route 711 commencing at the intersection of Ligonier Street and 13th Street in New Florence Borough, Westmoreland County, and continuing through St. Clair Township at the Seward Borough line, is hereby designated the Veterans Highway.

(b) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the highway to traffic in both directions on the highway.

Section 4. Army Corporal Richard W. Kowalewski, Jr., Memorial Bridge (Repealed).

Section 5. Robbie and Ryan Miller Memorial Bridge.

(a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:

(1) Brothers Robert "Robbie" and Ryan Miller were very well respected in their community for their courageous devotion to emergency response.

(2) Robbie and Ryan Miller served as volunteer firefighters for the West Bradford Fire Company, the West Chester Good Will Fire Company and the East Brandywine Fire Company.

(3) Robbie Miller was killed in a motorcycle accident on May 2, 2013.

(4) Tragically, Ryan Miller was also killed in a motorcycle accident on July 19, 2014.

(b) Designation.--The bridge carrying U.S. Route 322 over the east branch of the Brandywine Creek in West Bradford and East Caln Townships, Chester County, is hereby designated the Robbie and Ryan Miller Memorial Bridge.

(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and maintain appropriate signs which shall display the name of the bridge designated under subsection (b).

Section 6. Paul Reider Bridge.

(a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:

(1) In 1789, Paul Reider purchased a tract of land on the banks of the Juniata River from David English.

(2) Over time, Reider's descendants founded the town of Reider's Ferry at that point on the Juniata River, which was formally established in 1804 as the town of Reidersville.

(3) Today, the town of Reidersville is known as Newport.

(4) The Reider's Ferry Bridge Company, founded in 1838, constructed a covered bridge in 1851 spanning the Juniata River connecting Newport to Howe Township.

(5) That bridge was destroyed in an 1889 flood and replaced with another covered bridge.

(6) In 1903, the covered bridge was replaced with an iron bridge.

(7) In 1934, the iron bridge was replaced with a steel bridge, which has remained unnamed.

(8) The Newport Celebrates 175 Steering Committee and the Newport Revitalization and Preservation Society both have voted unanimously that this community founder is deserving of commemorative action.

(b) Designation.--The bridge located on State Route 34 that connects the banks of the Juniata River in Newport, Perry County, is hereby designated as the Paul Reider Bridge.

(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the bridge to traffic in both directions on the bridge.

Section 7. Sergeant George F. Stuckey Memorial Road.

(a) Findings.--

(1) Sergeant George F. Stuckey was born June 29, 1939, in Michigan and came to the Bucks County area when he was a child. He was a graduate of Delhaas High School.

(2) Sergeant Stuckey was a police officer with the Bristol Township Police Department where he served for seven years. He held the rank of detective for five years before becoming acting sergeant in the detective division. He served as the department's photographic expert.

(3) Sergeant Stuckey made the ultimate sacrifice on March 29, 1972, when he was shot and killed in the line of duty while stopping a vehicle involved in a bank robbery along Bath Road in Bristol Township. The shooting occurred only a couple hundred feet from the police headquarters.

(4) Sergeant Stuckey was the first police officer in Bucks County to be killed in the line of duty.

(b) Designation.--The section of State Route 2029, known as Bath Road, that runs between US Route 13 (Segment 10) to Oxford Valley Road (Segment 40) and the section of State Route 2049, also known as Bath Road, that runs between Oxford Valley Road (Segment 10) to State Route 413 (Segment 40) in Bristol Township, Bucks County, are hereby designated as the Sergeant George F. Stuckey Memorial Road.

(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the highway to traffic in both directions on the highway.

Section 8. Effective date.

This act shall take effect in 60 days.