New Walnut Street Bridge In Perkasie Opens Next Week

PERKASIE, PA — The reconstructed Walnut Street Bridge in Perkasie will open next week, county officials announced Wednesday. The new $5.1 million bridge will be open as of Nov. 21.

The Walnut Street Bridge, closed since October 2017, is a "vital transportation artery" for businesses, commuters, visitors and first responders in the area, according to an announcement from the county.

The rebuilt bridge is the fourth incarnation of a span that has crossed the East Branch of the Perkiomen Creek since 1867. It is approximately 210 feet long and 49 feet wide. It has two lanes of traffic and sidewalks on both sides.

In recognition of the bridge’s significance to the Perkasie community and the county at large, the County Commissioners have relocated their regular 10 a.m. meeting on Nov. 21 from Doylestown to Perkasie Borough Hall so that they can participate in the bridge-opening festivities, which are scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m.

Features of the new bridge include:

• Decorative lighting and colored stone facing, which bears four plaques commemorating the original 1867 wooden bridge, the 1907 reconstructed bridge, the 1970 rehabilitated bridge, and the new structure.
• Reconstruction of the approach roadway
• New vehicular and pedestrian signals
• New retaining walls
• ADA-compliant ramps, guiderail and curbing
• Sidewalk and drainage improvements.

“Having a direct route across the creek is as important to Perkasie’s economy today as it was to the farmers and traders who depended on the original bridge for their livelihoods 150 years ago,” Ryder said. “Perkasie thanks the County Commissioners for their assistance and concern in getting this complete bridge replacement approved quickly and completed on schedule.”

The new bridge is designed to last for at least 100 years, according to information from the county.

Image via Bucks County