Pennsylvania Act 2010-98 — DESIGNATION - GOVERNOR JOHN K. TENER MEMORIAL BRIDGE

Act text

DESIGNATION - GOVERNOR JOHN K. TENER MEMORIAL BRIDGE
                  Act of Oct. 27, 2010, P.L. 954, No. 98              Cl. 87
                                  AN ACT

     Designating the replacement bridge for the bridge carrying State
        Route 2018 over the Monongahela River from the Borough of
        North Charleroi, Washington County, to the City of Monessen,
        Westmoreland County, as the Governor John K. Tener Memorial
        Bridge.

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

     Section 1.  Governor John K. Tener Memorial Bridge.
        (a)  Declaration of policy.--The General Assembly finds and
     declares as follows:
            (1)  John Kinley Tener, 1863-1946, a former congressman,
        was the second of three governors elected from Washington
        County. He has the distinction of being the only foreign-born
        governor since the office was formed in 1790. He was born in
        County Tyrone, Ireland, on July 25, 1863. He moved to
        Charleroi, Washington County, on April 20, 1891, and became
        the president of the First National Bank of Charleroi by
        1898. He organized the Charleroi Savings & Trust Company and
        served as its secretary/treasurer, was president of the
        Mercantile Bridge Company and director of the Webster-
        Monessen, Belle Vernon, Fayette City Street Railway Company
        (Trolleys) and of the Westside Street Railway Company.
            (2)  Tener served as Governor of Pennsylvania from 1911
        to 1915 and was considered a highway czar signing into law
        the "Sproul Road Bill." This law facilitated the improvement
        of State roads across this Commonwealth.
            (3)  Among his other accomplishments, Tener, who stood 6
        feet 4 inches, was a former major league baseball player. He
        started out briefly as an outfielder with the Baltimore
        Orioles in 1885. He later played for the Chicago White
        Stockings, now the Cubs, as a pitcher and outfielder. He had
        a 7-5 record with a 2.74 ERA in 1888 and went 15-15 with a
        3.64 ERA in 1889. Tener maintained his interest in baseball
        after retiring as a player. In 1912, Governor Tener spoke out
        against gambling in baseball and informed district attorneys
        around the State that he believed existing laws could be used
        against illegal betting. In 1913, Philadelphia Phillies owner
        William Baker proposed that Governor Tener become National
        League president. Tener accepted the offer at a contract of
        $25,000 per year but was not paid until April 1915, when his
        term as Governor expired.
            (4)  The Charleroi-Monessen Bridge was constructed by
        Tener's Mercantile Bridge Company as an early example of a
        public-private partnership. The bridge was purchased by the
        Commonwealth in 1949, but tolls were continued until it
        became free to the public in 1956.
            (5)  The Charleroi-Monessen Bridge was rehabilitated
        shortly after World War II and again in 1986. The bridge was
        closed in mid-February 2009 after a routine inspection
        revealed deterioration of a vertical panel that supports the
        middle of the bridge. A new bridge will replace the current
        structure. The 24-month project will include replacing the
        three truss spans and rehabilitating the approach spans at a
        cost of $25,000,000 to $35,000,000.
        (b)  Designation.--The bridge that will replace the bridge
     carrying State Route 2018 over the Monongahela River from the
     Borough of North Charleroi, Washington County, to the City of
     Monessen, Westmoreland County, shall be designated as the
     Governor John K. Tener Memorial Bridge.
        (c)  Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall place and
     maintain appropriate signs at both ends of the bridge designated
     in subsection (b).
     Section 2.  Effective date.
        This act shall take effect immediately.