SCRAWLED SIGNS OF PROGRESS – Engineers’ instructions, scrawled on dark asphalt in bright orange spray paint, were the only visible indications Sunday (Nov. 20, 2011) of progress in repairing and re-opening the still-closed Pruss Hill Road bridge in Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township. The markings, seen (above) looking east down the road, and west (below), primarily highlight significant guard rail and concrete culvert damage at the sharp curve in the highway just west of the bridge itself. The road was closed in mid-September after engineers from Sanatoga-based Traffic Planning and Design Inc. determined the bridge was structurally unsound. The township Board of Commissioners voted Oct. 24 to make limited repairs to the bridge and restrict traffic crossing it to only passenger cars using a single lane. The work was estimated to take about a month, but now appears as if it be substantially longer.
Related (to Pruss Hill Road and its bridge):
- Pruss Hill Bridge Could Take Longer Than Expected
- Pruss Hill Bridge To Reopen, But As One-Lane Only
- The Problems At Pruss Hill Lurk Beneath Its Bridge
- Pruss Hill Bridge Might Re-Open With Weight Limit
- Bridge Damage Closes Pruss Hill Road ‘Indefinitely’
- Commissioners OK Pruss Hill Road Accidents Study
- Bridge, Guardrail Study Proposed For Pruss Hill Road
- Stop Sign May Be Answer For Pruss Hill Road Crashes
- Pruss Hill Road Guardrail Now Repaired
- Use Caution Driving Pruss Hill Road
- Car Upended On Pruss Hill Road
Hi Joe,
Thanks for the update.
Also, since “substantially” is a tad ambiguous, do we have some sense as to what time frame substantially might actually mean and relate to?
We in Woodgate can hardly wait for this to be reopened. And, I’m sure that the folks on Snell and Sanatoga Roads can hardly wait until that diverted traffic no longer has to use their roads.
On the LPT Web Site it states that, “Further updates will be posted on this page.” Were it not for you, and The Sanatoga Post, we would have no idea of what’s going on concerning the closing of Pruss Hill Rd. Thanks, and keep up the Good Work!
Regards,
PJ
PJ, I have no idea how much longer “longer” is. When the board discussed the repairs in October, they estimated a month. As of today we’re only three days short of “a month” and I sincerely doubt the work can be completed before then. It might be open by Christmas, I’m guessing; maybe sooner (or not). I doubt, by the way, that this is a township delay. I’m betting it has something to do with the engineering-construction half of the equation.
The real issues are the bridge itself and the re-rod exposure and corrosion you showed in your photgraphs as well as the foundation block cracks.
The concrete work will be difficult in winter temperatures. The cracked foundation blocks will probably not be addressed immediatley but part of the long term fix.
Let’s hope it’s soon. Causing a lot of issues for us Woodgate denizons.. Snell Road is too narrow in spots and needs to be looked at for compliance with road dimensions. Come this winter that dogleg downslope leading to the bridge will be a tricky spot to negotiate in ice and snow…
Hi Joe,
Thanks for your speeeeedy reply.
As you can tell, I certainly am not a Bridge Engineer. Some occasional updates on the LPT Web site would be nice, even if it were to just say that, “It may take longer than originally expected to secure accurate determinations as to when and how the bridge may safely be used”.
Concerning EJ Cox’s comment.
He addresses the potential situation at Snell and Sanatoga Roads. We also need to look at Snell and Pruss Hill Roads, specifically where the utility is located. As you know, it was hit during the storm this past summer. I shudder to think how many times it could be hit this winter, by vehicles traveling down the hill on Snell Road, during icy and snowy times!
Oh yea, every time that pole gets hit, it disrupts electrical service to Woodgate and the surrounding area. Hmmmmmmm, possibly the Township, or at the Township’s urging, one of the Utility Companies, should consider putting cement filled or wooden barriers there to protect the pole from being hit on icy and snowy days; an ounce of prevention … Just a thought!
Regards,
PJ