Bridge dedicated to fallen PennDOT worker, Union Township police chief
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - The Zienkiewicz family -- David Jr., Loretta, and David Sr. -- unveil a sign dedicating the bridge near Creekside Restaurant to Joseph Zienkiewicz on June 25, 2024.
RINGTOWN – A bridge in Union Township now bears the name of a PennDOT worker and pillar of the valley community.
Family, friends, Ringtown Valley residents, and dignitaries gathered Tuesday near Creekside Restaurant to dedicate the bridge carrying Little Mountain Road over the Little Catawissa Creek in memory of Joseph Zienkiewicz.
It’s not far from his native Pattersonville.
He was a PennDOT foreman working in Berks County when he was killed in a crash in June of 1981. He was 52.
At the time, he was also Union Township’s police chief, and was a member of St. Mary’s Church in Ringtown and the Union Township fire company. He was also a Korean War veteran.
His wife, Loretta Zienkiewicz, son David Sr., and grandson David Jr. unveiled the signs.
PennDOT Safety Press Officer Sean Brown said the dedication has been in the works since 2019.
“It’s a long time coming to commemorate our workers who lost their lives on the job,” Brown said. “They work an incredibly dangerous job, sometimes only a cone between them and 70mph traffic.”
“I miss my father every day,” David Sr. said. “There’s a reason I chose this bridge. There’s a lot of memories with this bridge, this creek that runs under it with my father, this building next to it.”
He said Creekside was previously a garage where his father worked as a mechanic.
“He put everybody ahead of himself,” he said.
Loretta said that the dedication should serve as a reminder of not just her husband’s sacrifice.
“There are many others that lost their lives doing the work that benefits the traveling public,” Loretta said.
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