PennDOT says about 5,900 of its 25,000 bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. In other words, they're in lousy shape.

Maybe the state can get rid of some.

Dave Dombrosky, of Scott, has a fishing camp in Lawrence County near an old (1890) bridge over Slippery Rock Creek. The bridge is posted with a 9-ton weight limit, and only a handful of vehicles use it -- no more than 50 a day, he says.

"The community could manage very well with no bridge at all if this bridge were closed or used as a foot bridge," he said. "But no! With money from the federal government, the state and the county, the bridge is about to be destroyed and replaced with a $2.25 million concrete slab."

Mr. Dombrosky said there's a new bridge less than a half mile away. The local fire department is the same distance from both bridges; if he had a fire at his camp, firefighters could use the new bridge and not worry about their firetruck collapsing the old one and falling into Slippery Rock Creek.

"There's no doubt in my mind that this money could be better spent on bridges that carry thousands of cars daily to necessary destinations," he said.

There are two other old but bigger two-lane bridges near my hometown that PennDOT could close without seriously inconveniencing too many people or jeopardizing the health, safety and welfare of residents. Both span the Monongahela River: The Brownsville Bridge and the Donora-Webster Bridge are in need of regular inspection and major repairs.

The 94-year-old Brownsville Bridge lies in the shadow of the four-lane Route 40 Lane Bane Bridge. Soon, the Pennsylvania Turnpike will be building yet another four-lane bridge nearby. Brownsville and West Brownsville, with about 3,800 people combined, will then have access to three bridges with a total of 10 traffic lanes.

The 101-year-old Donora-Webster Bridge has a 3-ton weight limit and a low-hanging overhead barrier to keep trucks off. Steel and zinc mills on the Donora side are long gone, and trips on the rickety steel bridge have dropped to about 3,300 a day, a fraction of the past. Newer, safer bridges are nearby, including the four-lane Monessen-Donora Bridge that most people use, and the Monongahela City Bridge.

It would cost at least $35 million each to replace the Brownsville and Donora-Webster bridges.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, all three old bridges discussed today are listed as historical structures.

While important to the people who use them, they are expensive to preserve and keep open to traffic. Their transportation value is much lower today than in their heyday.

I'm sure you can suggest some bridges to go, too, and not necessarily major crossings.

It would be easy for engineers to recommend structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges that could be eliminated to lighten PennDOT's workload, redirect limited financial resources and maintain an effective overall transportation system.

Dealing with politicians would be the hard part.

I-79 forever. Jan Lininger, of Bethel Park, uses the old on-ramp to Interstate 79 northbound at the Bridgeville interchange every day while commuting to Robinson.

A PennDOT contractor began a $6.1 million project last week to widen, lengthen and relocate the ramp, including building a new bridge over Chartiers Creek. I-79 access will be maintained on an 11-foot-wide temporary roadway while work continues through August. That's August 2008.

"Are you serious? That long? It's just a ramp!" Ms. Lininger e-mailed.

Yes.

The late start in the construction season combined with building a new bridge and keeping the on-ramp open while work takes place figure into the drawn-out schedule.

Did you forget PennDOT's old motto? "Temporary inconvenience, permanent improvement."

Plate du jour. Ron Miklos, of Plum, spotted the Pennsylvania personalized license plate U THINK on a Chevy Nova at a car cruise in Sarver. I TRY.