King of Prussia–The Main Street Bridge over the Schuylkill River connecting Spring City Borough, Chester County and Royersford Borough, Montgomery County will reopen Friday afternoon (Aug. 26), the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation today announced.
PennDOT will restore vehicular and pedestrian travel on the refurbished Main Street Bridge two weeks ahead of schedule following the construction of a new reinforced concrete deck.
“We are pleased to reopen the Main Street Bridge ahead of schedule and restore travel between Spring City and Royersford for commuters, local businesses, school bus drivers and emergency service providers,” PennDOT District Executive Lester C. Toaso said.
“Due to the bridge’s importance to the local communities, we committed to reopening the bridge as quickly as possible. Our contractor worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week to build the new bridge deck that will provide travelers with uninterrupted service for at least the next 25 years.”
The structurally deficient bridge was closed to traffic on July 18, 2011 for the replacement of its deteriorated concrete deck and walls. The closure was scheduled to last eight weeks, but crews rebuilt the deck in just under six weeks.
Construction will continue to repair the underside of the concrete arch bridge through the fall. When the work is completed, the Main Street Bridge will no longer be classified as structurally deficient.
PennDOT began construction last January to rehabilitate and preserve the bridge’s structural integrity. The project originally included repairs to the bridge beams, walls and deck, and new paving, guiderail and pavement markings. The work was to be done using detours only during nights and weekends.
However, PennDOT uncovered more severe structural damage, including holes in the bridge deck and deteriorated concrete in the support structure. This severe structural decay resulted in a revised plan that included the construction of a new, reinforced concrete deck and new concrete walls with pedestrian railings.
The Main Street Bridge was built in 1922. The bridge is 346 feet long and 30 feet wide. The bridge carried 17,000 vehicles a day prior to its closure in July.
J.D. Eckman, Inc. of Atglen, Pa. was the general contractor on the $2.5 million project, which was financed with 100 percent state funds.