Sep. 25--DERRY -- Borough officials envision a pedestrian bridge as an ideal solution for getting residents on foot safely across the Norfolk Southern rail lines that cuts the community in two.

President Allen Skopp told council members Monday that such a crossing, with private funding, was completed for about $800,000 in Hershey. That's far less than the $2 million price tag he'd previously estimated for the project.

"I was really relieved to see the price tag," he said.

Reporting on a meeting last week involving area legislators and representatives from the borough, PennDOT and the Public Utility Commission, Skopp said the pedestrian bridge was favored by those in attendance over an at-grade crossing borough council previously had advocated. The proposed covered bridge would be placed at the end of South Chestnut Street in the downtown business district and would have an elevator at either end to provide access for the handicapped.

Discussion of the project is in a very early stage, with no funding identified. Derry Mayor Sue Bortz noted that a consulting firm has agreed to visit the borough and provide a free cost estimate for the bridge.

The pedestrian span would address the current problem of residents from the town's north side frequently walking across the railroad tracks as a shortcut to reach the downtown area rather than using the only currently approved crossing -- sidewalks on the aging Route 217 bridge.

The safety concerns were brought into tragic focus July 16 when 15-year-old Douglas E. "D.J." Albright Jr. of Derry was fatally injured when struck by a westbound freight train as he crossed the tracks.

Replacement of railings along the bridge sidewalks was discussed as a potential measure at last month's council meeting. But Skopp said PennDOT has indicated it will not fund such a temporary fix since the entire bridge is being eyed for replacement beginning in 2013.

"I'm glad to hear they're talking about replacing the bridge, not just rehabilitating it," Skopp said.

He said preliminary plans call for the new highway bridge to be several feet lower than the existing span, which would mean a less steep ascent and descent for motorists. Also, planners have suggested installing a more spacious sidewalk -- about 5 feet in width -- on just one side of the new bridge. The existing span features a sidewalk at either edge of the roadway.

Councilman Todd Krehlik recalled the borough previously had lobbied for an at-grade vehicular rail crossing at Chestnut Street to provide an alternate route across the track for emergency vehicles and to allow expansion of the downtown district.