Main Street Bridge
Photos
Main Street Bridge -- August 21, 2009
Overview of Main Street Looking North
Photo taken by Raymond Klein
BH Photo #145652
Facts
- Overview
- Pony truss bridge over SEPTA Bethlehem Branch on Main Street in Sellersville
- Location
- Perkasie, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Status
- Intact but closed to all traffic
- Future prospects
- Closed August 19, 2019 for either rehabilitation or replacement
- History
- Built 1927; closed for rehab or replacement Aug. 2019
- Builder
- - American Bridge Co. of New York
- Railroads
- - Reading Railroad (RDG)
- Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)
- Design
- Howe pony truss
- Dimensions
-
Length of largest span: 134.8 ft.
Total length: 137.1 ft.
Deck width: 30.5 ft.
- Recognition
- Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +40.36167, -75.31167 (decimal degrees)
40°21'42" N, 75°18'42" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 18/473537/4467946 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Telford
- Average daily traffic (as of 2017)
- 9,223
- Inventory numbers
- PA 09 4013 0110 1126 (Pennsylvania Bridge Management System number)
PANBI 07383 (Pennsylvania BRKEY bridge number on the 2011 NBI)
BH 30534 (Bridgehunter.com ID) - Inspection report (as of April 2018)
- Overall condition: Poor
Superstructure condition rating: Serious (3 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Poor (4 out of 9)
Deck condition rating: Poor (4 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 70 (out of 100)
View more at BridgeReports.com
Update Log
- August 19, 2019: Updated by Alexander D. Mitchell IV: Bridge closed for either rehab or replacement
- August 14, 2013: Updated by Nathan Holth: Added builter.
- July 15, 2013: Updated by Dave King: Added builder
- July 13, 2013: New Street View added by Dave King
- June 22, 2011: Updated by Nathan Holth: This bridge is now doomed.
- August 24, 2009: New photos from Raymond Klein
Sources
- Raymond Klein - Bookshelfthe [at] msn [dot] com
- Nathan Holth
- Dave King - DKinghawkfan [at] hotmail [dot] com
- Alexander D. Mitchell IV
Comments
In the same article I read the bridge rehabilitation involves removing the concrete deck,sidewalks and pedestrian railings in order to repair,strengthen and paint the single-span pony truss.The bridge deck,sidewalks,and abutment back walls will be replaced and the pedestrian railings will be repaired,reinforced and reinstalled.I don't remember seeing it but this bridge is posted with a 15 ton limit.
Found an article in the Perkasie News-Herald stating that this bridge closed on 8/19/19 until 10/1920.Loftus Construction Co was warded the $4,695,000 contract.Like I said earlier I am familiar with the detours being Rtes 152,309 and 563.If Alexander wouldn't have mentioned this bridge closure I wouldn't have ever found out about it so I give my thanks to Alexander.Weird thing that they mentioned was that SEPTA owns the tracks which they stopped passenger service many years ago and now it's only a freight line that deadends in Quakertown.I thought Norfolk/Southern or East Penn owns the rail tracks which would make sense.
Thanks to Alexander I looked this bridge closure up and see the bridge is being rehabbed rather than replaced which is good to know.I am originally from Quakertown and know this bridge very well.I don't see any problems with detours around this bridge being that I've driven over most of the roads around the bridge.
All that article is saying is PennDOT will conduct Section 106 which will consider rehabilitation, but also replacement. We all know what the usual outcome of Section 106 in Pennsylvania, and its NOT rehabilitation.
PennDOT and Historically Significant...
Now there's two things I never expected to hear in the same sentence...
This bridge is looking to be rehabilitated. Here's from an article from last year:
The other bridge to be updated along Main Street crosses over SEPTA tracks. The 1927 truss bridge is 137 feet long and was built by the Reading Railroad Co. It is both structurally deficient and functionally obsolete, posted with a 15-ton weight restriction.
“That doesn’t mean it’s unsafe, but it’s in need of attention,” said Gene Blaum, a PennDOT spokesman. “That’s the purpose of the project.”
PennDOT has determined the bridge is historically significant and contributes to Sellersville’s historic district, Fellin said.
Because of this, the department first must look at whether the bridge can be rehabilitated and get input from the public before proceeding, he added.
“If it can’t be rehabbed, we will be replacing it with something aesthetically pleasing,” Fellin said.
PennDOT expects to know whether the bridge over the railroad will be rehabilitated or replaced next year. Actual construction on the bridge wouldn’t begin until 2017 or after.
http://m.phillyburbs.com/my_town/pennridge/penndot-working-o...
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/pa/bucks/94013011011260/
I found out from an article on Facebook that this bridge was reopened this past week after completion of a rehabilitation project.There was no mention of what work was performed on the bridge.