King of Prussia, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) will start construction Tuesday, March 14, on a $16.6 million project to rehabilitate eight bridges over Interstate 95 and CSX Railroad in the City of Chester, Delaware County, plus improvements on Chestnut Street and Morton Avenue in the city. The project is scheduled to be completed in November 2018.
Construction on the first bridge over I-95 will begin Tuesday, March 14, with the rehabilitation of the Crosby Street pedestrian bridge. Due to nature of the bridge repairs, Crosby Street will be closed to pedestrians between 12th Street and 13th Street for the duration of construction which is scheduled to finish in mid-October 2017. Pedestrians will be directed to use the Edgmont Avenue bridge to cross over I-95.
In addition to rehabilitating the Crosby Street bridge, PennDOT will rehabilitate and improve the multi-span, steel girder bridges on Potter Street, Madison Street, Upland Street, Melrose Avenue, Chestnut Street, Edgemont Avenue, and the Walnut Street pedestrian structure. The contractor will also improve the I-95 south exit ramp at Chestnut Street.
The contractor will repair the concrete bridge decks on seven structures and replace the concrete deck on the Potter Street bridge. Crews will also place a new concrete overlay on the bridges; repair piers and support abutments; replace fencing on the bridge parapets; repair curbs and sidewalks; install new expansion joints; paint structural steel; reset bridge bearings; clean bridge drainage systems; repair existing lights; and perform other miscellaneous repairs.
PennDOT owns the Edgmont Avenue and Madison Avenue bridges, and the City of Chester owns the remaining six structures.
Each bridge will close during construction as will the I-95 south exit ramp at Chestnut Street when construction begins on that section. The department will not permit the contractor to close certain bridges simultaneously, and it will post detours to move motorists and pedestrians around the closed spans. Depending on the bridge under construction, lane restrictions will occur on I-95 weeknights from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM the following morning, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM the following morning.
In addition to the bridge and ramp improvements, crews will repair Chestnut Street and Morton Avenue from 12th Street to 4th Street. The plan is to reconstruct curbs and sidewalks; mill and resurface the streets; install a new traffic signal at Chestnut Street and Morton Avenue; and upgrade the traffic signal at Morton Avenue and 7th Street. The contractor will reconstruct Morton Avenue from 7th Street to 4th Street to lower the road under the Amtrak overpass to increase vertical clearance from 12 feet 9 inches to 13 feet 9 inches.
South State, Inc. of Bridgeton, N.J. is the general contractor on the $16,668,238 project which is financed with 100 percent state funds.
MEDIA CONTACT: Brad Rudolph, 610-205-6800
Supporting documentation:
http://www.penndot.gov/RegionalOffices/district-6/Pages/details.aspx?newsid=1112