Politics & Government

PennDOT Inspectors Close Arcola Road Bridge

The bridge was slated to be rebuilt in the winter of 2015.

PennDOT Inspectors closed the Arcola Road Bridge, which connects Lower and Upper Providence townships, Friday due to concerns for the safety of users, according to Montgomery County Officials.

“While the bridge is closed, the County and PennDOT continue to aggressively pursue the engineering, design and other necessary steps to replace the bridge,” according to a project update from Montgomery County.

The county stated that the Arcola Road Bridge is currently classified as both structurally deficient and functionally obsolete.

“In addition, the bridge is not capable of supporting increased traffic from local development growth and does not meet current accepted design standards,” according to the county. “In order to ensure the safety of passengers that use the bridge on a daily basis, PennDOT has the bridge inspected every six months.”

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In the county’s 2013 Capital Budget, $7.75 million was borrowed to fund the replacement of the bridge, which will feature three lanes, a bike lane, and a sidewalk. It is scheduled to begin in the winter of 2015.

Earlier in August, county officials told residents that the bridge could stay open until is passes inspection, which it did not.

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Drivers will be taken on a detour to Arcola Road for 1.5 miles, Eagleville Road for 1.1 miles, Park Avenue for .5 miles, Egypt Road for .9 miles, and Cider Mill Road for 1.5 miles; the total detour is roughly 5.5 miles.


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