POLAND — Dozens of people strolling through the Poland Municipal Forest were in for a surprise Monday as they came upon a construction crew taking apart Mauthe Bridge, piece by piece.

“Everyone’s excited,” Tim Sicafuse, mayor of Poland Village, said.

“We’re still on pace” for the rehabilitation and reconstruction to be completed in mid-May, he said.

Murphy Contracting is handling the project, which has a $86,400 pricetag.

The bridge has been closed since July 2018, when MS Consultants looked over the structure, verifying that pieces of steel have rusted and worn out over the years.

In 1956, the bridge was built and dedicated for J.L. “Pete” Mauthe, former president of Youngstown Sheet and Tube. It stretches over Yellow Creek.

When completed, the revamped bridge will be about 3 inches wider. The original steel beams will stay in place.

As the project progresses, portions of the forest will be closed so crews can complete the work.

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