Section 1. Governor John K. Tener Memorial Bridge.
(a) Declaration of policy.--The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
(1) John Kinley Tener, 1863-1946, a former congressman,
was the second of three governors elected from Washington
County. He has the distinction of being the only foreign-born
governor since the office was formed in 1790. He was born in
County Tyrone, Ireland, on July 25, 1863. He moved to
Charleroi, Washington County, on April 20, 1891, and became
the president of the First National Bank of Charleroi by
1898. He organized the Charleroi Savings & Trust Company and
served as its secretary/treasurer, was president of the
Mercantile Bridge Company and director of the Webster-
Monessen, Belle Vernon, Fayette City Street Railway Company
(Trolleys) and of the Westside Street Railway Company.
(2) Tener served as Governor of Pennsylvania from 1911
to 1915 and was considered a highway czar signing into law
the "Sproul Road Bill." This law facilitated the improvement
of State roads across this Commonwealth.
(3) Among his other accomplishments, Tener, who stood 6
feet 4 inches, was a former major league baseball player. He
started out briefly as an outfielder with the Baltimore
Orioles in 1885. He later played for the Chicago White
Stockings, now the Cubs, as a pitcher and outfielder. He had
a 7-5 record with a 2.74 ERA in 1888 and went 15-15 with a
3.64 ERA in 1889. Tener maintained his interest in baseball
after retiring as a player. In 1912, Governor Tener spoke out
against gambling in baseball and informed district attorneys
around the State that he believed existing laws could be used
against illegal betting. In 1913, Philadelphia Phillies owner
William Baker proposed that Governor Tener become National
League president. Tener accepted the offer at a contract of
$25,000 per year but was not paid until April 1915, when his
term as Governor expired.
(4) The Charleroi-Monessen Bridge was constructed by
Tener's Mercantile Bridge Company as an early example of a
public-private partnership. The bridge was purchased by the
Commonwealth in 1949, but tolls were continued until it
became free to the public in 1956.
(5) The Charleroi-Monessen Bridge was rehabilitated
shortly after World War II and again in 1986. The bridge was
closed in mid-February 2009 after a routine inspection
revealed deterioration of a vertical panel that supports the
middle of the bridge. A new bridge will replace the current
structure. The 24-month project will include replacing the
three truss spans and rehabilitating the approach spans at a
cost of $25,000,000 to $35,000,000.
(b) Designation.--The bridge that will replace the bridge carrying State Route 2018 over the Monongahela River from the Borough of North Charleroi, Washington County, to the City of Monessen, Westmoreland County, shall be designated as the Governor John K. Tener Memorial Bridge.
(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall place and maintain appropriate signs at both ends of the bridge designated in subsection (b).