Berks-owned pedestrian bridge in need of repair
Schuylkill River Greenways is offering Berks County its support in breathing new life into a deteriorating pedestrian bridge.
The executive director of the nonprofit organization, Elaine Schaefer, appeared before the county commissioners at their operations meeting recently to bring attention to safety concerns and provide assistance for rehabilitating a county-owned bridge.
The bridge carries the Schuylkill River Trail over the Schuylkill River just south of the Reading Area Community College campus.
“Right now, the condition of the bridge needs to be improved,” Schaefer said. “We are coming to the county to see if the commissioners would support us doing some work there to make it safer and more inviting to users of the trail.”
Schaefer said the condition of the bridge has become an issue as Schuylkill River Greenways focuses its efforts on filling the gap in the trail between Reading and Hamburg. She said there has been a lot of support from the city about connecting the trail, but in order to make it a valuable recreation destination its entrance to Reading should be welcoming.
Approaching from the south, pedestrians and bicyclists pass over an eyesore as they enter the city. The bridge is rusty and has developed sizable gaps in some spots where its sides meet its bottom.
“It is our position that with all the work we’re doing to make this trail an economic driver, we can’t have this be the entrance to the city,” Schaefer said.
But the very existence of the pedestrian bridge has been in question.
Alan Piper, transportation planner for the county, gave the commissioners an update on where things stand with the future of the bridge. He told them maintenance issues have plagued the bridge since they took it over from the college about 14 years ago.
He said a 2016 study identified the bridge to be in poor condition and listed a number of recommendations to improve the safety of the span. But he said no action was taken.
“The use of the bridge is still a viable option, but we still have
an issue with the cost of improving and maintaining the bridge,” Piper told the commissioners. “We have also discussed removing the bridge altogether.”
Schaefer suggested the organization seek grant money to make the kind of improvements envisioned by the group. She said the first step would be to have an engineer outline different options.
“We could just make it safe and not worry about the way it looks,” she said. “Or we could make it safe and make it an interesting architectural gateway to the city — which is what we would love to do. But is it worth it if this bridge is coming down?”
Commissioner Kevin Barnhardt said he needs more information before he can support making a significant investment in the current bridge. He suggested the county explore its options before coming to any conclusion.
“I cross that bridge several times a week when the weather is nice, so I know it well,” he said. “Making the kind of improvements that Schuylkill River Greenways suggests would be like putting lipstick on a pig.”
Barnhardt said his initial position is the bridge should be removed and replaced with something more appropriate like a composite pedestrian bridge that would last decades. But he said he would be open to gathering more information before making a final decision.
Schaefer said the organization will give the county a year to do its research.
“Given the uncertainty, there is no need to rush this,” she said. “But I do think there are some basic safety concerns that need to be addressed in the meantime.”
Commissioners Chairman Christian Leinbach agreed. He said he supports working with the organization to determine the best path forward focusing on the long-term costs of the options before the board.
In the end, Leinbach and Barnhardt approved a motion to have Schuylkill River Greenways make improvements to the bridge to address safety concerns and continue to work with the county to determine the future of the bridge.