Graterford Road Bridge To Reopen

PERKIOMEN TOWNSHIP, PA -- After around five months of construction, Graterford Road Bridge over Perkiomen Creek is set to reopen on Friday and significantly relieve traffic in the surrounding area.

Graterford Road will reopen to traffic between Route 29 and Route 73 in Perkiomen and Skippack townships on Friday afternoon, April 22, PennDOT announced.

PennDOT said their contractor worked the past five months to rehabilitate the former structurally-deficient bridge by replacing the deck and beams, repairing the piers and support abutments, and upgrading the guide rail.

The bridge is no longer categorized as structurally deficient, and it no longer has a weight restriction.

The bridge was originally closed in June 2014 due to severe structural deterioration of the deck and beams. It had a 14-ton weight restriction at the time of the closure.

Built in 1957, the bridge is 218 feet long and 26 feet wide. The structure carried 2,900 vehicles a day prior to its closure.

The project, which cost $1.1 million, was financed with 100 percent state funds from Act 89, Pennsylvania’s transportation plan, PennDOT said.

Following the reopening of Graterford Road, PennDOT will close and begin construction Monday, April 25, to rehabilitate the structurally-deficient Route 73 (Skippack Pike) bridge over the Perkiomen Creek in Perkiomen and
Skippack townships, and Schwenksville.

This construction is scheduled to finish in December 2016.