Chandler Mill Bridge

www.chestercounty.com/2020/03/03/299638/chandler-mill-bridge...

Chandler Mill Bridge rehab fully underway

03/03/2020 02:22PM ¡ñ By Steven Hoffman

Work on the rehabilitation of the historic Chandler Mill Bridge in Kennett Township, which began in December, is now past the demolition phase and is currently having repairs made to its girders, beams and stems.

On schedule to be completed in June, the construction schedule for the bridge calls for the installation of bearings, girders and floor beams in March; the pouring and application of the concrete surface in April and May; and the installation of railings, bollards and asphalt to be done in May and June.

The bridge, which was built in 1910 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was closed to traffic on May 6, 2011, due to extensive structural damage. Over the next several years, the structure became the topic of debate at many township meetings, as legislators and stakeholders battled over whether to wait for Chester County, then the bridge's owner, to make necessary repairs ¨C which would have created a two-lane, two-way bridge, at no cost to the township ¨C or to enter into negotiations with the county to purchase the bridge and devote township funds and grant money to fixing the bridge.

On June 4, 2014, the supervisors voted 2-to-1 in favor of the township pursuing ownership of the bridge, and in November 2014, the township entered into negotiations with Chester County to obtain the title and ownership of the bridge, which was authorized on Dec. 8, 2014, by the Chester County Board of Commissioners.

On Jan. 21, 2015, the township passed Resolution No. 2015-8, declaring that the bridge will be re-opened as a structure intended for pedestrians, pedal bicycles and emergency vehicles weighing up to and including 20 tons. The resolution further stated that the bridge will otherwise be restricted to motor vehicles. The resolution called for the construction of appropriate signage, break-away or removable bollards and other devices to prevent vehicular traffic from using the bridge, but still allow emergency vehicles to pass.

By taking ownership of the bridge, the township is able to restore it in a way that would maintain the structure¡¯s status on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Last December, the township's board of supervisors passed a motion to authorize township manager Eden Ratliff to execute a contract with Gordian, Inc. in the amount of $516,869 to repair beams on the historic bridge. The engineering firm is a leading provider of facility and construction cost data, software and services.

We increased the "masters" on the team for this project's proposal. Mimh Enterprises (also from Michigan who worked with Nels on the st. Joe lighthouse) is an EPA certified lead paint abatement and painting firm who has worked with PPX system of coatings and likes to travel, did their part for the Scope and Estimate. Andrew DeGruchy, Master Mason, of Lime Works US, gave us a bid for the repair and re pointing for the bridge, as well. With this team, we were able to bid both the repair to 8-10 tons using in-kind restoration techniques and a plan that would have upped the loading but changed the engineering.

We look forward to hearing from Kennett Township.

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Workin' Bridges has entered into a contract with Kennett Township for our views on the restoration of Chandler Mill Bridge. On a site visit last week when the team (Nels, Julie, Jim and Dy) was just over the border in Yorklyn, Delaware for the announcement of historic bridge use, the crew met with Gwen Lacy and her team from The Land Conservancy of Southern Chester County and Kennett Township supervisor. This is in an effort to continue the use of historic bridges up Red Clay Creek. We will be providing our Scope and Estimate to the Township in a few days for this small bridge restoration to pedestrian usage with emergency vehicular potential.

Nice article on the bridge's preservation:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150206_Township_beats_Ch...

Another old bridge saved in PA!:

http://chaddsfordlive.com/2015/01/22/after-spanning-years-of...