Upper Darby bridge over Darby Creek reopens

UPPER DARBY» The Rosemont Avenue Bridge that connects Upper Darby to Springfield over the Darby Creek was officially reopened to traffic Tuesday afternoon after a year of construction.

Officials from both townships helped County Councilmen Mario Civera and John McBlain cut the ribbon on the new $1.9 million bridge, which was made wider and higher than the decades-old structure before it and can now support-heavy duty apparatus like fire trucks.

“To all of the people who had a part of this construction I would like to thank you. This is something that we can all be proud of in Delaware County,” said Civera. “This is something that all of the residents on the Springfield Side and the Upper Darby side will see that this is a well-constructed bridge.”

The former bridge was only wide enough for one car to pass at a time. Now, there are two lanes of traffic and an ADA-approved sidewalk.

While the bridge was completed in June, putting in the PennDOT-approved sidewalk added on a few months more of construction.

“I can’t find a better reason to delay a project for a little bit to make sure that happened,” said state Rep. Jamie Santora, R-163, of Drexel Hill.

“We all felt like it took a long time to do, but we’re actually way ahead of schedule,” he added. “We have a great bridge that will allow our police and fire to have easier access back and forth when necessary.”

Sixth Ward Springfield Commissioner Bob Layden said the bridge will ease flooding concerns from the creek that his residents along North Bishop Avenue have dealt with for years.

“This bridge was long overdue to solve a lot of issues that we’ve all had to deal with for a long time,” Layden said.

Upper Darby Mayor Tom Micozzie added to the conversation about the bridge handling the weather.

“Let’s get this thing open, travel on it safely and let’s hope that the next storm shows the improvements that we have,” he said.

Pedestrians and drivers alike took to the bridge as soon as the “Bridge Closed” signs were taken down, with one person honking and cheering from her car. Drexel Hill resident Aimee Capuzzi would walk her 16-month-old black lab mix Zeus over the bridge to join some friends over in Springfield.

“We were bummed we had to drive every time we went for the past year,” said Capuzzi, Zeus barking and hopping around with excitement. “This is good, we can now walk forth again.”

Construction was completed by Mercer-based Clearwater Construction and months ahead of its projected summer 2018 completion date. The project was paid for by the county’s liquid fuel funds. back and