The following is a press release issued by The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
King of Prussia, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced that construction is scheduled to begin Monday, April 20, on the $1.7 million project to rehabilitate the Route 23 (Valley Forge Road) bridge over Pickering Creek in Schuylkill Township, Chester County. Construction is expected to be completed in late 2015.
PennDOT’s contractor will rehabilitate the structurally-deficient bridge by removing the deteriorated steel I-beams and replacing them with concrete beams; building a new deck; and repairing the support abutments. In addition, crews will replace the pier caps on which the beams sit.
Route 23 (Valley Forge Road) will be closed and detoured between Moorehall Drive and McAvoy Lane starting April 20.
During the bridge closure, passenger cars on Route 23 (Valley Forge Road) will be detoured over U.S. 422 west to the Oaks Interchange, then onto Egypt Road, Route 29, Bridge Street, and Route 113 (Bridge Street). Trucks will follow U.S. 422 west to the Royersford Interchange, and then onto Main Street and Route 724 (Schuylkill Road). Motorists are advised to allow extra time when traveling through the area. Local access will be maintained up to the construction zone.
The 48-year-old bridge on Route 23 (Valley Forge Road) is the third of three structurally deficient bridges in Chester County to be rehabilitated under a $3.4 million project that is financed with state funds from Act 89, Pennsylvania’s transportation plan.
The Route 23 (Valley Forge Road) bridge was built in 1967. The three-span structure is 210 feet long and 38 feet wide. It carries 19,165 vehicles a day.
The first bridge to be repaired under this bridge improvement project was the Fern Hill Road Bridge over U.S. 202 in West Goshen Township. Construction on the Fern Hill Road span was completed in December 2014. The second bridge that is being rehabilitated is the U.S. 322 (Horse Shoe Pike) bridge over the west branch of the Brandywine Creek in Honey Brook Township, Chester County. Construction started in March and is expected to finish in late fall.
J.D. Eckman, Inc. of Atglen, PA is the general contractor on the $3,466,116 project.
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