HB 2221 — An Act designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 52427, carrying Pennsylvania Route 970 over the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in Bradford Township, Clearfield County, as the Ashley E. Woolridge Memorial Bridge.

PRINTER'S NO.     2915

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 2221
                                                Session of
                                                  2026

     INTRODUCED BY KEPHART, VITALI, ROWE, JAMES, BRENNAN, STAATS,
        ANDERSON, STENDER AND SMITH, FEBRUARY 17, 2026

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, FEBRUARY 17, 2026


                                     AN ACT
 1   Designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 52427, carrying
 2      Pennsylvania Route 970 over the West Branch of the
 3      Susquehanna River in Bradford Township, Clearfield County, as
 4      the Ashley E. Woolridge Memorial Bridge.
 5      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 6   hereby enacts as follows:
 7   Section 1.     Ashley E. Woolridge Memorial Bridge.
 8      (a)     Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as
 9   follows:
10            (1)   Ashley E. Woolridge was born November 8, 1916.
11            (2)   Mr. Woolridge attended Clearfield Public School,
12      where he graduated in 1934.
13            (3)   Mr. Woolridge then attended West Point Military
14      Academy from 1934 to 1935.
15            (4)   Mr. Woolridge received his bachelor of science
16      degree from Lock Haven State Teachers College in 1939 and
17      then attended Penn State College Graduate School, where he
18      was enrolled in the master's program in Education
19      Administration before being called into service in 1941.
 1            (5)    Outside of work, Mr. Woolridge enjoyed his family,
 2      horses, flying, the mountains, hunting and fishing.
 3            (6)    Mr. Woolridge also mined surface coal for over 50
 4      years and taught related mathematics, science and English at
 5      Hanover High School.
 6            (7)    Mr. Woolridge completed U.S. Army Air Corps (USAAC)
 7      Flying School in July 1942, commissioned as a Second
 8      Lieutenant as a rated pilot in the USAAC.
 9            (8)    Mr. Woolridge went overseas during September 1943 as
10      pilot and flight leader in the 319th Bombardment Group and
11      flew a Martin B-26 Marauder.
12            (9)    Throughout his service, Mr. Woolridge would fly the
13      North Atlantic (Labrador, Greenland, Iceland and England),
14      Africa during an invasion in November 1942, Sardinia, Corsica
15      and France.
16            (10)   Mr. Woolridge was placed in command of the 320th
17      Bombardment Group in the 12th Air Force on November 1, 1944,
18      and then promoted to Colonel in February 1945 after 106
19      combat missions.
20            (11)   Mr. Woolridge was honorably discharged in November
21      1945.
22            (12)   Mr. Woolridge earned decorations such as the Silver
23      Star, Distinguished Flying Cross with two clusters, Air Medal
24      with 23 clusters, Presidential Unit Citation with two
25      clusters and two Croix de Guerre avec Palme.
26            (13)   Mr. Woolridge passed away on May 3, 2004, at a
27      hospital in Pittsburgh.
28      (b)   Designation.--The bridge, identified as Bridge Key
29   52427, carrying Pennsylvania Route 970 over the West Branch of
30   the Susquehanna River in Bradford Township, Clearfield County,

20260HB2221PN2915                     - 2 -
1   is designated as the Ashley E. Woolridge Memorial Bridge.
2      (c)   Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and
3   maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the bridge to
4   traffic in both directions on the bridge.
5   Section 2.   Effective date.
6      This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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