Zettlemoyer's Bridge

This 116 year old bridge is set to reopen by noon on Tuesday 7/21/20 to vehicular traffic.This 154-foot-long steel truss bridge has been closed since September 2012 due to deterioration of its steel and an imposed weight limit of only 3 tons.Berks county originally planned to demolish the bridge citing the fact only about 60 vehicles used it every day.The township had other plans and after negotiations between its supervisors and Berks County officials an agreement was reached in December 2015 for the county to rehabilitate the bridge and then transfer ownership to the township.The $1,748,728 rehabilitation project began in March 2019 and was expected to be complete by the fall of that year but a pair of delays lengthened the time it took for the work to be finished.The first delay involved a change order for the bridge to be repainted before it changed hands;the second was the COVID-19 shutdown that lasted from March 17 until April 22.Now the bridge,which was built in 1904 and last rehabilitated in 1958,sports a fresh coat of green paint and can support up to 10 tons.This information was supplied by an article I saw on WFMZ69 news about this bridge.

I was reading today's paper and saw that Berks County is accepting sealed bids for a rehabilitation project on this bridge.The work to be performed is rehabilitation of the existing steel Pratt through-truss to a 10 ton load carrying capacity.The scope of repairs will include the replacement of members in kind with high strength steel in the truss and other components of the superstructure and floor system.The appropriate approach guiderail,transitions and end treatments will be installed at each corner to meet current PennDOT safety standards.The stone masonry substructure will be repointed as needed.I will let it be known when work will begin and post all information here.

Screen shot photos

By the way,PennDOT wasn't mentioned in the article.

As per an article printed in the Reading Eagle today the Greenwich Township supervisors have been informed work on replacing this bridge in the spring.Berks County will advertise bids to replace this 114 year old bridge with work to begin on May 1st.Completion should be by December.The supervisors evidently decided not to save this bridge because of refusing to take ownership.Maybe someone out there might want to take ownership of this bridge.Let's hope so over this bridge becoming cans or cars.

There were several Zettlemoyers in the area of the bridge in 1876.

Here's an historic atlas of Greenwich & Albany townships of Berks County:

http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/13537/Greenwich+Towns...

The area in Greenwich township near Lenhartsville where most of the Zettlemoyers are located is actually called Zettlemeyer Dist. No 8.

Spelled with an "e", must be a misprint.

How Did this bridge get its name ?? Is this where the Zettlemoyer farm is ? or was ? May be related through an early 1800 marriage.

according to the reading eagle dated 8/14/14 this bridge looks like it will be replaced.the greenwich supervisors are talking to the berks county commissioners about replacing the bridge.the commissioners indicated they would consider replacing the bridge with a concrete span.estimated to cost $2.5 million the new concrete span would be capable of supporting a 30 ton firetruck which is stipulated by the township.this all is conditional upon the township assuming ownership of the new bridge.construction of the new bridge will take 3 years.any more information i get i will pass on.

Doomed!

http://readingeagle.com/news/article/greenwich-township-supe...

Of course I favor a full restoration for this span, but an adequate rehabilitation could be performed for substantially less that would allow continued use of the bridge.

just got some information on this bridge from the reading eagle.seems the county would prefer to either remove the bridge and get the county to build a new bridge.what complicates the matter is the bridge is the county,s property and the road is a township road.also this bridge is in a very isolated area only serving about a dozen houses.the options open are repairs which would cost $1.500,000.00,build a new bridge which would cost $2.500,000.00 or remove the bridge.i will let you know when the final decision is made and what it is.