Work Starts Monday on Pennsburg’s Route 29 Bridge
PENNSBURG PA – The highly anticipated start of construction to remove and rebuild the superstructure and upper portion of the Main Street bridge in Pennsburg, and the Route 29 corridor improvements that accompany it, is scheduled for Monday (Feb. 6, 2023) at 9 a.m., the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reported.
The $3.2 million project, lead by general contractor H&K Group Inc. of Skippack, is expected to take several months to complete. Its benefits include improved mobility and safety on Main Street between 10 and 11th streets, reducing the potential for accidents, and generally upgrading travel between Pennsburg and Red Hill boroughs.
The work will also present short-term transportation headaches, community leaders acknowledge. It will require re-routing of local passenger and business traffic, Upper Perkiomen School District student bus adjustments, and even use of a temporary bridge for those who prefer, or must, walk to destinations in the area.
Travel restrictions, now and later
Beginning Monday, drivers will encounter a lane closure through Friday (Feb. 10), from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily between 10th Street and 11th Street, for clearing, erosion and sedimentation work, and debris removal PennDOT said.
“To address speeding and traffic congestion through the work area, the project will include variable message signs, speed humps, temporary traffic signals, and other safety measures,” PennDOT stated. Drivers are advised to allow extra time when traveling through the work area. Backups and delays may occur, it noted, and added that all scheduled activities depend on acceptable weather.
Later this winter, due to the nature of the construction, Main Street will be closed and traffic detoured around the project area. Drivers and pedestrians alike will be directed to follow posted detour routes. The bridge is expected to be completed by October, according to the state’s project details.
New bridge addresses needs
The contractor will remove the superstructure and the upper portion of the bridge over the former abandoned Perkiomen Railroad. The change is intended to eliminate thru-girder beams as obstacles at the edge of its travel lanes. Also planned are:
- Sidewalk construction along both sides of the roadway to improve pedestrian access;
- Realignment of its vertical profile to improve sight distance and reduce rear-end crashes; and
- Installation of upgraded signage, guide rails, and pavement markings.
The 94-year-old, 25-foot-wide, steel girder bridge carries about 8,600 vehicles daily.
Photo from Google StreetView; map provided by PennDOT One Map
