Murals to Stay on Bridge under Construction

STROUDSBURG, Pa. — A mural on the sides of a bridge under construction in the Poconos will be left untouched.

PennDOT originally planned to remove the murals on the sides of the Main Street Bridge due to the renovations, but engineers on the project say the paintings can stay.

The murals were painted back in 2014. A lot of hands worked to create the design so when people heard it may be removed, they were very upset, but just one day after the project started, PennDOT says the paintings will stay put.

Brian Moraws usually walks along the Main Street bridge to get to and from school, and always notices the paintings on the sides of the bridge.

“I think it’s good for the community, honestly, and it looks good. It brings a smile to everyone when they walk past it, honestly,” Moraws said.

The Main street Bridge over Pocono Creek is under construction.

Originally, PennDOT planned to remove both the bridge deck and walls including the murals, but now, engineers say the walls and murals can stay.

Jim Evanisko is an artist in Stroudsburg.

“It’s terrific. That’s wonderful. When we heard about it originally, we said, ‘OK, let’s find out,’ because they are not going to save it. They are just knocking it down, but they still have to put up some kind of walls. So that’s why we put a little committee together of kids and adults to say, ‘hey, can we repaint this, can we do it?’ It’s been there forever,” Evanisko said.

People who walk up and down these sidewalks say they are happy to hear that the murals are staying because it takes a lot of time and effort to create the design.

This mural was painted back in 2014 by a local artist and students.

Asia Morton from East Stroudsburg says there are so many paintings in downtown Stroudsburg, it would be a shame to lose one.

“I would be upset if they decided to make a bridge and tear down my artwork when I put my soul into it, so I think it’s a good choice for them to keep it,” Morton said.

The bridge work on Main Street is expected to wrap up in November.

Source: wnep.com