A Centre County bridge has been named in honor of a local U.S. Navy veteran and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation worker who died on the job more than 50 years ago.
PennDOT held a ceremony on Thursday to dedicate the bridge crossing Spring Creek on East Branch Road in Lemont as the Petty Officer John W. Coble Memorial Bridge. Coble, a Lemont native, was a PennDOT mechanic in Centre County who was killed in a garage accident while working on a piece of equipment on June 19, 1972.
The 57-foot bridge, which was replaced in 2002 and carries an average of about 7,800 vehicles each day, is located just east of the Lemont traffic light.
Coble served in the Navy during World War II and was honorably discharged in November 1945. Shortly after returning home, he went to work for PennDOT until his death.
“He was very proud to be employed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation,” Kay Meleshenko, one Coble’s six children, said during the dedication ceremony held nearby at Mount Nittany United Methodist Church. “His tragic death shocked his family and he is greatly missed. To have this bridge in Lemont named after our father, the same town in which he was born, is a great honor.”
After being approached by the Coble family, state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, whose district formerly included Lemont, worked for years to have the bridge dedicated. In November, the bill sponsored by Benninghoff to name the bridge for Coble was approved by the General Assembly signed by then Gov. Tom Wolf.
The process was slow, Benninghoff said, but he was glad to finally have a day to “celebrate and honor” Coble’s service.
Pennsylvania has 25,000 state-owned bridges and only 480 are legislatively named, PennDOT District 2 Executive Thomas Prestash, said. In the nine-county District 2, the Lemont bridge is just the sixth to be legislatively named.
Coble is one of 90 PennDOT employees statewide and one of five in District 2 to have died on the job.
“One of life’s most difficult challenges is losing a family member,” Prestash said. “John’s accident reminds us that safety must always come first, and we at PennDOT work very hard to ensure this will never happen again. We want to make sure that safety is the top priority for every employee and also the traveling public.
He added that the signage at the bridge will be a lasting tribute to Coble.
“From today forward, the citizens of Centre County and members of the traveling public and all who cross through Lemont will see the signage honoring John and his service and sacrifice, a fitting tribute to a hometown hero and an honor that will be in place for generations to come,” Pretash said.
