Bridge Dedicated in Memory of PennDOT Worker Killed Near Union City

SUGARCREEK BOROUGH — Twenty years after a fatal work zone accident near Union City claimed the life of longtime PennDOT employee Earle Chandler, a bridge in Venango County has been officially renamed in his memory.

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Chandler, a Meadville resident and Transportation Construction Inspector-Supervisor with PennDOT District 1, was killed on Aug. 1, 2006, while overseeing a paving project on Route 8 just north of Union City. According to authorities at the time, Chandler was providing safety instructions to a newly hired worker when he was struck by a backing dump truck. He later died at a hospital from injuries sustained in the accident.

On Thursday, family members, elected officials and PennDOT representatives gathered to dedicate the Route 322 bridge over Sugar Creek near the village of Wyattville as the Earle Chandler Memorial Bridge. New bridge signs were unveiled following a ceremony at the Utica Volunteer Fire Department.

Chandler devoted 20 years to PennDOT and was well known throughout District 1. During the winter months, he worked from the department’s Crawford County maintenance facility. He was a graduate of Redbank High School and Penn State Behrend and is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and daughters Emily, Erin and Erica.

The bridge designation was authorized through Act 17 of 2025, signed into law by Gov. Josh Shapiro. The legislation, sponsored by state Rep. R. Lee James, included several memorial bridge and highway designations across Pennsylvania.

The dedication coincides with the 20th anniversary of Chandler’s death. In conjunction with the ceremony, PennDOT’s Traveling Workers Memorial remains on display at the department’s Crawford County maintenance facility through Aug. 3. The memorial honors the 93 PennDOT employees who have lost their lives in the line of duty since the department was established in 1970.