Contract approved for Rittenhouse Road repairs
Work could start in late March after construction bid comes in under estimate
The last major step toward repairing a damaged bridge on Rittenhouse Road in Towamencin is now finished.
The township supervisors voted unanimously Wednesday to award a roughly $104,000 contract to install a replacement bridge culvert purchased last month.
“The project includes the removal of the stone arch culvert, including end walls, that was damaged by an automobile last summer, and replacement with an aluminum box culvert with aluminum head walls and wing walls,” said board Chairman Chuck Wilson.
The Rittenhouse bridge was damaged by an auto accident last July 18, and the road was closed for two weeks as township officials evaluated the damage. In late July the bridge reopened with the street changed to one-way only, and the township supervisors made that one-way permanent on Sept. 11, a little more than a week before a second accident on Sept. 20 further damaged the bridge, requiring a full closure.
In October 2019, the board heard how repairs could be sped up by classifying the project as an emergency repair, and in November the board bid out the purchase of a new culvert. In December the board heard that emergency permits had been secured by the state, and in
“We had a very good response to the bid release. We don’t normally get 11 bids, so it was good, and their pricing was very competitive.” — township engineer Tom Zarko
January they authorized the purchase of the prefabricated culvert for just shy of $14,000.
Township engineer Tom Zarko gave the board an update Wednesday night, saying he and staff recommended a contract award for the installation of that culvert to the lowest of nearly a dozen bidders, Warrington-based Land Tech Enterprises at a price of roughly $104,000.
In addition to covering the installation of the culvert itself, the contract also spells out how the firm will remove roughly 64 linear feet of iron pipe water main that is too close to the new culvert area to be left alone.
Zarko said the bid award came in slightly below his firm’s prior estimates of roughly $110,000 in cost, and should clear the way for work to begin late next month, weather permitting.
“I would anticipate that construction would get underway probably in late March or early April, and we’re still projecting completion at the end of April or beginning of May,” he said.
Staff have been in monthly contact with the insurance carrier for the driver that caused the damage in the first accident, according to Township Manager Rob Ford, and will attempt to seek compensation now that the costs are nearly finalized. Once the bridge reopens, staff and residents in the area can begin discussions over whether the road should remain one-way, as it was between the July and September closures, or restored to two-way.
Towamencin’s supervisors next meet at 7:30 p.m. on March 11 at the township administration building, 1090 Troxel Road. for more information visit www.Towamencin.org.