Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
A month-long repair project is set to begin Monday on the Washington Crossing Toll-Supported Bridge.
The work will impact motorists and pedestrians, according to the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.
The work is focused on the Upper Makefield Township side of the bridge and is expected to take three to four weeks depending on weather permitting.
Mount Construction Company, of Berlin, of Somerset County, has been hired by the commission to carry out the repairs.
Most of the work will occur during weekday daytime hours, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will potentially lead to flagger-controlled alternating single-lane closures for vehicles.
A full bridge closure for motorists will be necessary for one overnight period, from midnight to 4 a.m., for the installation of a new steel overhead sign assembly. The exact date for this overnight closure will be announced later.
Pedestrians will also face disruptions as the bridge’s walkway slated for a five-day closure from July 14 to July 18. The closure is for gantry repair work, as well as subsequent approach sidewalk and railing repairs.
While the walking path is closed, the commission said maintenance personnel plan to replace wooden planks along the walkway.
The project is needed due to damage caused by an Amazon tractor-trailer in March 2023.
According to officials, the truck became lodged beneath the bridge’s sign gantry, twisting the overhead structure and damaging its supports, as well as the approach sidewalk and railings.
Since the incident, the 120-year-old weight-restricted bridge has operated without a Pennsylvania sign gantry.
The repairs include constructing a new oversize-vehicle-protection structure, which involves removing old gantry components, building new reinforced-concrete foundations, erecting a new steel overhead sign structure, and installing new signs. The bridge’s Pennsylvania-approach low-clearance bar will also be relocated to the new gantry, officials said.
Additionally, portions of the bridge’s Pennsylvania approach sidewalk and pedestrian railing will be replaced, involving excavation and new concrete sidewalk slabs. Railings and posts will be removed, reset, or replaced as needed due to the gantry reconstruction or damage from the 2023 truck incident.
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In the aftermath of the incident, Pennsylvania State Police issued multiple citations to the truck’s driver.
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