Phoenixville>> The news many have waited for has finally arrived. The Route 23 bridge will reopen Tuesday.
The Phoenixville Area School District posted on its Facebook page Monday it had been informed the bridge will be open to traffic sometime Tuesday, but did not offer specifics when.
“New bus routes for many families will go into effect on Wednesday, Oct. 7,” the district wrote.
State Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19th Dist., said in a statement Monday, he too believed the bridge would open by Tuesday.
“It is my understanding that PennDOT is putting the final touches on the Route 23 bridge,” Dinniman said Monday. “However, before it is open to traffic, it needs to be inspected. If the inspection goes smoothly, it could be open as soon as tomorrow. If there are any issues that need to be addressed, it could take a few more days.”
PennDOT officials would not confirm whether the bridge would reopen. Instead they chose to say the bridge’s deck had been sealed, the guard rail was being installed and traffic lines were being painted.
The 48-year-old bridge, which spans the Pickering Creek and is travelled by almost 20,000 motorists a day, closed for reconstruction April 20. Since then, residents, local officials and business owners have complained about what they said was a nightmare project.
PennDOT reached a new deal with contractor J.D. Eckman Inc. to finish work no later than Nov. 26. The original contract allowed the project to extend as late as spring of 2016. The new contract offers a daily incentive of $3,000 a day for every day the contractor finishes before the Nov. 26 end date.
Dinniman expressed his enthusiasm for the project’s relatively quick turnaround.
“In any case, the bridge is still expected to be open months ahead of the original schedule,” he said. “I want to thank local residents and commuters for speaking up about the importance of this project, because it was their voices that helped get the work accelerated. Remember, originally the bridge was not slated for completion until March 2016.”
The $1.7 million project involved removing the deteriorated steel I-beams and replacing them with concrete beams; building a new deck; and repairing the support abutments. In addition, crews replaced the pier caps on which the beams sit, according to PennDOT, .
Since the bridge closed, passenger cars on Route 23 have detoured over Route 422 west to the Oaks Interchange, then onto Egypt Road, Route 29, Bridge Street and Route 113 (Bridge Street). Trucks follow Route 422 west to the Royersford Interchange and then onto Main Street and Route 724 (Schuylkill Road).
