Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Rehabilitation planned for old bridge
County Bridge No. 254 on Lafayette Road is more than 100 years old
WEST BRANDYWINE » A rehabilitation project is planned for a bridge owned by Chester County on Lafayette Road in West Brandywine, near the township building.
Built in 1914, County Bridge No. 254 is a one-lane, plate girder bridge with a 5-ton capacity that spans West Branch Brandywine Creek.
At Friday’s township meeting, project manager Chris Seaman of McMahon and Associates and county bridge engineer Sandy Martin of McCormick Taylor pre- sented the project to supervisors and residents.
The total estimated cost of the bridge is $500,000 with $400,000 for construction costs and $100,000 for design costs; the county will pay for the bridge with funding from Act 13, Martin said.
Act 13 is a state law, signed by former Gov. Corbett in 2012, that authorizes the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to collect an impact drilling fee from wells being drilled for the production of natural gas, and distribute some of those funds to local governments.
The purpose of the rehabilitation project is to increase the load-carrying capacity of the bridge, provide updated safety features to be in accordance with PennDOT and maintain the aesthetics and historic nature of the existing structure, Seaman said.
The project entails removing the existing pavement on the bridge, removing the concrete deck, removing the PVC drains that empty water from the deck of the bridge into the creek, and removing the floor beams to prepare for upgrades to the superstructure, he said. The substructure, which is made of stone, is still in good condition, he added.
The key reasons the county is pursuing this project are: the floor
beams of the bridge are severely deteriorated; the load-carrying capacity is at 5 tons, but the bridge could be closed if further deterioration causes the capacity to drop below the state minimum of 3 tons; and the bridge’s lack of guide rails leaves its girders unprotected, which means that if a car crashed into one of the girders, it could potentially cause the entire bridge to collapse, Martin said.
The upgrades to the bridge will slightly decrease the width of the already narrow roadway from 15 feet 10 inches to approximately 14 feet, Seaman said. When construction starts, the bridge will be closed for about three to four months, he said.
Martin said she hopes to have construction started by late 2015 or early 2016, but the project still needs final approval from the Chester County Board of Commissioners.
Contractors working on the bridge will be required to put up signs near the bridge to notify motor- ists of its closing at least two weeks in advance, but Township Supervisor Doug Smith said he planned to notify residents of West Brandywine, and possibly neighboring townships, at least a month in advance.