Route 202 Bridge In Doylestown Named In Memory Of U.S. Army Captain

DOYLESTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — A bridge carrying Route 202 over Almshouse Road now bears the name of a U.S. Army Ranger and Central Bucks East graduate who was killed during a training mission in 2018.

Cpt. Connor J. Bednarzyk was remembered during a bridge naming ceremony on April 4 at the Doylestown Township Building. The event was attended by his parents, Casey and Ruth Bednarzyk of Buckingham, relatives, friends and state and local officials.

“The Captain Bednarzyk’s Bridge will serve as an everlasting symbol of his service and sacrifice for our community and our country,” said State Rep. Shelby Labs who sponsored legislation renaming the bridge. “It is an honor to dedicate this bridge to Connor’s memory. May this
bridge serve as a continuous reminder of the life he lived and his unwavering service.”

Labs was joined at the event by State Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-10), State Representative Tim Brennan (D-29) and Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie who joined the family to formally rededicated the bridge.

A graduate of Central Bucks East High School (Class of 2011) and the Pennsylvania State University, Captain Bednarzyk served as a U.S. Army Ranger in the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning in Georgia prior to losing his life during a training mission. He was laid to rest at Washington Crossing National Cemetery with full military honors.

“It was an honor to put forth legislation, which was included in and signed into law as ACT 17 of 2023, to honor Cpt. Bednarzyk for his service to our nation,” said Labs.

From left: Buckingham Township Supervisor Paul Calderaio (chairman), Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie, State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, Casey and Ruth Bednarzyk, State Rep. Tim Brennan, State Rep. Shelby Labs, and Doylestown Township Supervisors Jennifer Herring (chair) and Judy Dixon. (Photo by Jeff Werner)

Connor’s parents accepted a copy of the green and white PennDOT sign designating the Route 202 bridge in their son’s memory.

“We’re really humbled and honored by this dedication in honor of our son,” said Casey Bednarzyk. “We drove by the bridge this morning and I felt so proud to go over the Colby Umbrell Memorial Bridge and then over Connor’s bridge and then the Travis Manion Memorial Bridge. I couldn’t feel more proud, not just of the people they were and what they represent but our community at large, of how we stand up to honor these three heroes.

"My hope is that the thousands of cars that will pass over the thoroughfare every single day that they look and see the names and hopefully will be as proud as we are to live in such a wonderful place," said Casey.

State Sen. Santarsiero joined Reps. Labs and Brennan in presenting the family with a flag from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

“While nothing will ever heal the wound of his passing, I hope that by acknowledging the fact that he served and the gratitude we have provides you with some level of solace for your loss,” Santarsiero told Connor's parents. “It is for us now to pass on his story and who is was to future generations. The sign is a special thing, but passing that information along is also very important.”

Brennan added, "This is a small token of appreciation for an infinite debt of gratitude that we owe to you and your family. We face many challenges today but we have been sustained as a country because of a culture of service borne out of sacrifice for those who have been willing to give everything for our country, for its citizens and for its society built on the ideas of freedom and autonomy.

“Today’s a chance to remember one of those people who was willing to stand up while others might step back, one of those good people who rather than complaining asked what can I do to help my community, what can I do to help my country.”

Commissioner Harvie thanked the legislators for making the bridge rededication happen and to everyone who had a part in shaping who Connor was.

“This is a way to immortalize your son and to thank him for being the kind of person he was, willing to sacrifice himself for others,” Harvie told Connor's parents. “I sincerely hope the dedication of this bridge brings you some peace, brings you some comfort,” he told the family.

CPT Connor Bednarzyk attended Penn State on an ROTC Scholarship and graduated in the top 10 percent of all ROTC graduates throughout the U.S. Connor was an Infantry Officer assigned as the Platoon Leader of the Distribution Platoon, Echo Company, 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. On Sept. 7, 2018, Connor made the ultimate sacrifice when he was killed during a training mission near Fort Benning, GA.

"He was an amazing little guy - very fun, very energetic," said Casey of his son.

Despite his small stature, his dad said Connor's "desire drove him" throughout his life, first to become the captain of the football team when he was a senior despite the fact he was 5'8" tall and 150 pounds and eventually as a captain with the U.S. Army Rangers.

"He started wrestling when he was a junior in high school. He had never been on a mat before. By his senior year, he was All Conference. And he was also on the baseball team. He won six letters when he was in high school, but that was not the important part," he continued. "The important part were his leadership qualities, his caring, and his sensitivity. That's what made him who he really, really was," said his dad.

"He cared about everyone he spoke to. He made an impression on everyone he met. Even when he was a little kid, after every practice, after every game he'd go to the coach, shake his hand and say thank you," Casey continued. "That's the kind of person he was."

Casey admitted that his son would have been uncomfortable about the dedication as he typically deflected recognition away from himself to others, but he would have liked the fact that a bridge now bears his name.

His father related that when Connor was young he was fascinated by bridges. On trips to visit relatives in New England during the holidays Connor would always ask his dad along the way whether a bridge they were going over was bigger than the Empire State Building.

"He equated everything to the Empire State building because it was really big and he would ask, 'How many Empire State Buildings would take up this bridge?' The amazing thing was that when we moved him to Colorado he picked out a picture of the Brooklyn Bridge for his apartment. Now, how relevant is it that there's now a bridge named after him?"