System-wide | Aviation | Bicycling | Bridges | Freight | Highway | Parking | Pedestrian | Transit
Bridges
Bridges are an essential part of the transportation system
Bridges are a vital link to our transportation network. They help provide mobility and access throughout Chester County. Many of the bridge structures within the County are over 50 years old, including those that support expressways (6). The maintenance responsibility for each bridge is determined by ownership which may include State, County, or municipality. As Chester County has grown, and will continue to grow, we must plan to address many bridge-related issues. There are several major bridge structures within the County that will require costly replacements.
Few bridges in the County provide adequate shoulder for bicycle and pedestrian movements. This causes a disconnect in the pedestrian and bicycle networks and safety concerns arise from conflicts between vehicular and non-motorized travel. Bridge clearances can restrict some goods movement by truck and rail (7). Bridge replacements involving Amtrak have higher costs. There are only 10 bridge crossings of the Schuylkill River. Additional crossings are needed for commuting and emergency vehicle access. A study has been completed that recommends a new bridge be constructed near Phoenixville to improve mobility and reduce congestion and safety concerns. Several urban areas in the County need additional bridge access as part of revitalization and redevelopment efforts.
Impacts of deficient bridges
There are many deficient bridges that are located throughout Chester County. Over time bridges begin to deteriorate because of various environmental elements, vehicular impacts or aging. Performing regular maintenance helps to extend the life of a bridge. It is generally less expensive to maintain bridges on a regular basis than it is to make emergency repairs. There is insufficient funding at all levels (state, county, local) for the repair or replacement of bridges in Chester County. Emergency bridge repairs cause budgetary strains on funding programs. When the condition of a bridge limits its ability to accommodate certain vehicular traffic the bridge may be considered “structurally deficient” or “functionally obsolete”.
Bridges are prone to damage caused by flooding and the effects of increased stormwater runoff. “Scouring” occurs when water begins to erode the footing of bridges. Bridges and culverts can also impede drainage, water flow, and discharge. This can contribute damage to the substructure that supports a bridge. Bridge deficiencies impact surrounding communities. Bridge postings cause detours and delays for school buses, emergency vehicles, goods movement and more. Traffic diversions created from bridge closures have a significant impact on local access roads and local businesses. Some functionally obsolete bridges cause traffic congestion and limit capacity expansion efforts (8).
A bridge must have an official safety inspection to receive federal funds for design or construction. Additionally, without certified safety inspections unknown conditions give cause for safety concerns. There is an opportunity to improve preventive bridge maintenance through increased municipal education.
Historic/Covered Bridge Preservation needs to be balanced
with safety and capacity improvements
There is a wealth of historic bridges in the County that need to be preserved and protected. In Chester County there are 24 stone arch bridges and 15 covered bridges. 28 bridges in the County are listed on National Historic Inventory (NHI) and 6 are eligible inclusion on the NHI. PennDOT has initiated “Project Keystone”- a pilot program in Southeastern PA that is developing an inventory, management plan, and maintenance plan to help in the preservation of stone arch bridges. Without consideration of context sensitive solutions for each bridge, there is a risk of losing local character that helps to define a community. Several municipalities have requested that replacement bridges be scaled to the community avoiding excessively wide bridges. There is interest among municipalities in replacing some failing bridges with new covered bridges.
(6) 46% of bridges in Chester County that are in PennDOT’s Bridge Management System were built or last reconstructed over 50 years ago.
(7) Norfolk/Southern Railroad is interested in converting the Keystone line into a “double-stacking” rail route. This would entail significant bridge replacements to meet the required vertical clearance.
(8) Within Chester County, PennDOT has identified 210 state-owned bridges as functionally obsolete.
Printable version of ALL issues (PDF, 83 KB)
System-wide | Aviation | Bicycling | Bridges | Freight | Highway | Parking | Pedestrian | Transit