Six Months Of Detours For Warminster Road Bridge Work

HATBORO, PA —Work on the Warminster Road bridge replacement project over Pennypack Creek is expected to resume next month.

At a recent Hatboro Council committee meeting, Councilwoman Amanda Jacobus —in her public safety report —said PennDOT plans detours for the Warminster Road Bridge to begin April 1 and last through Oct. 27.

The project will impact both Hatboro and Upper Moreland Township.

Because this is a highly trafficked area, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has developed two separate detour plans for passenger vehicles and trucks, borough officials said.

More information regarding specific detour routes for trucks and passenger vehicles will be released soon.

"This has been on our agenda month after month," Borough Manager Diane Hegele said. "I notified the police chief, the fire department, and the schools. Everyone knows about this now."

Police Chief James Gardner said that a lot of trucks used the road and bridge.

Robyn Briggs, PennDOT's community relations coordinator, said the full closure would be this spring.

PennDOT announced last April that it would begin preliminary construction to replace the bridge in Hatboro and Upper Moreland in Montgomery County.

"This bridge replacement project is critical to providing a safe and efficient crossing for motorists
and pedestrians,” Acting District 6 Executive Louis Belmonte said at that time. “It’s a continuation of our commitment to improving highway safety and enhancing mobility throughout the Philadelphia region.”

Under the contract, PennDOT’s contractor will replace the 136-year-old concrete-encased steel
beam structure with a prestressed concrete box beam bridge that will be 110 feet long and 38
feet wide.

The new bridge will allow for wider lanes and shoulders to improve traffic safety for
the estimated 11,783 motorists who travel over the structure daily.

Other improvements under this project include constructing a five-foot-wide sidewalk for
pedestrians; installing new signing, pavement markings, guide rail, and a pedestrian rapid
flashing beacon signal on the south approach; and resurfacing the approach roadways.

Allen Myers, LP of Worcester, PA is the general contractor on the $3,826,888 project, which is
financed with 100 percent state funds.