Turnpike Connector Bridge

As per an article printed in the Reading Eagle on 3-10-17 this bridge re-opened late Thursday after being closed for almost 2 months.The fractured I-beam has been repaired and tests have been run on the bridge which showed the bridge can handle the traffic.

As per an article printed in the Reading Eagle on 3-4-17 this bridge is on track to open in about a month according to engineers overseeing the repairs.No definite cause has been nailed down yet but there are plenty of guesses including the weather,plugs welds and even traffic.When the bridge reopens and the authorities do find a definite cause i will gladly put it on this site.

Here is the latest on this bridge as per an article printed in the Reading Eagle on 2-18-17.Contractors have been named to do the work on this bridge.The plans to repair this bridge have not changed.No cost estimate is available yet.Opening of this bridge is set for early April.Officials still hope the damaged I-beam can be repaired by constructing a permanent splice to reconnect the damaged section.Before that can be done crews must first realign the bisected segment by deploying 8 temporary towers and hydraulic jacks to return the span to its original position.The construction contractors include Allied Painting Inc.,Cornell and Company Inc.,Moretrench American Corp. and PKF Mark III.I have the article if anybody needs to know anything.

Got some more information on this bridge.As per an article printed in the Reading Eagle on 2-4-17 this bridge will remain closed for at least 8 more weeks through early April.The Pa Turnpike Commission and the N.J. Transportation Authority who are joint owners of the bridge said an April reopening represents a best-case scenario,provided a more complex partial reconstruction or even replacement of the entire structure is not necessary.I have seen the pictures of this fracture and it did not look good.When i find out through the media what is going to happen with the repair or possible replacement i will let everyone know.

I have more information on this bridge.As per an article in the Reading Eagle on 1-24-17 engineers will need at least 2 weeks to get a handle on the repairs needed to fix this bridge.One of the support beams fractured cleanly into 2 pieces-a highly unusual event which had some experts suspecting a flawed,6 decade old weld.This bridge was closed indefinitely after workers discovered the broken steel truss last week.Photos posted on the Pa Turnpike Commission website showed a massive I-beam under the bridge's westbound lanes sheared in half.Officials believe the 14 inch truss failed recently and suddenly.Scientists at Lehigh University are analyzing a piece of the fractured beam to help determine the cause of the failure.In addition to holes that were mistakenly drilled into the beams during construction and filled with plug welds along with wear and tear on the steel,experts are also looking at possible flaws in materials or design.Work is underway to stabilize the bridge which sunk slightly.Crews have installed steel plates to brace the fractured beam and will jack the bridge back to its original position.The bridge will rest on 8 temporary towers.The daily traffic count according to the Reading Eagle article is actually 42,000 i'm guessing as of 2016.I will post any more information i get on this bridge.

Dana and Kay,in answer to your statement it doesn't seem like a lot of traffic crosses this bridge every day which leads me to believe there might not be major traffic backups.Anyway,according to an article printed in the Reading Eagle on 1-22-17 this bridge will be closed until engineers can come up with a repair plan.Work is being done to stabilize the bridge which includes adding new plates to reconnect the fractured truss piece spotted Friday below the westbound right lane's riding surface.Authorities said a comprehensive analysis must be done to better understand what impact the fracture has had on the bridge which will take 2 weeks.Until more is understood about the damage no estimate is possible about when a permanent repair can be made to allow reopening the bridge.According to a turnpike commissioner this fracture happened quickly due to changing weather conditions.A sample of the fracture has been taken for forensic analysis.The bridge will be under constant watch and monitored around the clock using a high definition video survey.As i mentioned in my earlier post detours will be in effect and to prepare for slow moving or stopped traffic especially during the afternoon and evening hours.I will keep everyone posted if and when i get more information.

Doesn't look like a lot of crossings, must make for traffic back ups!

As per an article printed in the Reading Eagle on 1-21-17 a fracture was discovered in the truss on the Pa side during an inspection while the bridge was being repainted.This caused the Pa Turnpike Commission to close the bridge for today while engineers are inspecting the bridge.The bridge cannot reopen until repairs are made.Detours are in effect while the repair is being done.The location of the fracture was not revealed in the article.