Workers Reportedly Absent From Arcola Road Bridge In Montgomery County

For over two years, construction on the Arcola Road Bridge over the Perkiomen Creek has caused significant frustration and inconvenience for area residents.

The bridge was closed in August 2013 after it was found to have structural issues. Upper and Lower Providence residents who used the bridge to get to and from Collegeville and Phoenixville have had to detour either via Ridge Pike or Egypt Road and Route 422.

All detour routes are bumper to bumper at rush hour, and frequently at other points during the week.

Now, as two major bridge construction projects in Chester County were completed last week - Route 23 and Rapps Dam - residents are getting impatient.

Many say that very little progress has been made on the bridge over the last several months, and that some days, there are no workers at the site at all.

“Why do I never see anyone working on this bridge?” said area resident Cheryl Borges, noting that the warmer months should have seen more construction activity, given the restrictions that winter weather can bring.

Others have said the delays imposed by the bridge closure have kept them from frequenting area businesses.

“Every time I go by, I don’t see anyone working on the Arcola bridge,” said Juile Gwin. “Why is it taking so long? The Route 23 bridge was done in under 6 months. I don’t shop in Collegeville anymore because it’s too painful to get there.”

Cyclists and runners who use the Perkiomen River Trail or the Schuylkill River Trail, accessible via the bridge, are forced to either turn around at the bridge or ford the creek.

Frank Custer, the director of communications for Montgomery County, told the Times Herald that the contractor for the project had “other construction projects underway,” and that was why there were no workers on site.

“Work crews were moved around to complete work at different locations,” Custer said.

The contractor, Allan A. Myers of Worcester, has a deadline of July 5, 2016 to complete the work and open the bridge.

The bridge is still in its skeletal stage, but the county says that the bridge has met all intermediate deadlines.

“Once the contractor has finished construction of the substructure, work on the superstructure will commence. That work will include the installation of span beams and parapets, and the construction of the roadway,” the official Montgomery County site for the Arcola project states.

Have you been affected by the bridge closure? We want to hear. Email justin.heinze@patch.com.