The Pennsylvanian township of Upper Salford is auctioning off a 35-year-old wooden bridge to the highest bidder through an online forum, the latest creative solution for cash-strapped local governments seeking to clean up expensive local problems.
Officials in Upper Salford Township, Pennsylvania didn't know how to fund the removal of a condemned old railroad trestle bridge, so they turned to a resource that thousands of people use nowadays to sell off unwanted items and possessions: the Internet. The rustic landmark, which has sat dormant due to doubts of its structural integrity, spans over 16 feet and has yet to receive any bids as of Monday evening. The auction is an attempt for the municipality to rid of a condemned piece of infrastructure through a creative strategy that does not burden its tax base. Township supervisors in Upper Salford are still hopeful that an interested bidder will pan out and the locality will not have to shoulder the associated demolition costs:
"Seeking to sell to anyone who will pay at least $100 and cover the cost of removal, they hope to devote any proceeds and the money saved on demolition fees toward construction of a new, more permanent concrete bridge."
"Supervisors Chairman Theodore F. Poatsy Jr. said that strapped by the township's financial limits, he and his colleagues were looking for creative solutions to deal with what had become a costly local problem."
FULL STORY: Upper Salford has a bridge it wants to sell you
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