For the past 12 years, the Waterford Covered Bridge on Niemeyer Road above LeBoeuf Creek has been blocked off to all traffic due to the bridge's age and safety concerns. 

But that's set to change, as the bridge will receive nearly $3.5 million worth of restorations from PennDOT to return the bridge to a usable condition. 

"Starting later this month, we'll do a little bit of dismantling work that will just take a few weeks and then it will kind of shut down for the winter while they do some of that work off location," said Jill Harry, Press Officer for PennDOT's northwest region.

"And then they'll come back in the spring and do the rest of the work there that needs done in order to open the bridge about this time next year."

According to PennDOT, the 85 foot long, single lane covered bridge was originally built in 1875 by brothers Charles and James Phelps using a lattice truss design.

There's only 19 other lattice truss covered bridges like it in the state - and this is likely the only one of it's kind left in northwest Pennsylvania.

"They're going to be preserving the superstructure," continued Harry. "So that is the upper part of the bridge, so the actual cover covering of the bridge itself, they're going to refurbish that, [as well as] the deck of the bridge - the surface that you would drive or walk on - and the abutments and the I-beams."

Since the bridge closed in 2011, residents of Waterford Township have had to take a 2.5-mile detour if they were to drive from one side of Niemeyer Road to the other. With the bridge repaired, that will cut the distance to a mere 85 feet. 

So what does it mean to local residents - both from a traffic and historical perspective?

"It brings back a piece of the community that was missing for a long, long time," said Jim Edwards, President of the Fort LeBoeuf Historical Society.

"And people who never used it will now use it, you know what I mean? It's going to be something that's usable again. And some of the kids who graduated from here and so forth, will be able to go down and go across. And some grandparents who crossed that when they were younger be able to their grandkids across it and show them. And that's what our history is about."

While PennDOT is footing the nearly $3.5 million dollar restoration bill for the bridge, Harry says Waterford Township will be responsible for ownership and maintenance going forward.