Closed Randall Avenue Bridge To Get Inspection

BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, PA —Bristol Township has been granted approval to inspect the Randall Avenue/Edgely Bridge, which was closed for safety reasons in late February.

Township Manager Randee Elton provided an update on the bridge at Thursday's council meeting, saying that the township has received an approved permit from Amtrak to review the conditions under the bridge.

The inspection should take place in two weeks, township officials said.

The township conducted an "immediate shutdown" of the bridge on Feb. 23, citing safety reasons over falling concrete onto the Amtrak railway tracks.

Elton advised that the township's engineer had secured the required Amtrak-approved hi-rail vehicle rental but was advised that truck is actually not an approved truck.

An Amtrak-approved vehicle will be ready for use in two weeks.

At that time, township engineers will have the ability to get under the bridge and evaluate the concerns of falling concrete, township officials said.

"Once the inspection is completed, we will have a better understanding of action items with timelines," the township posted on its website. "We thank you for your patience."

Elton had previously said that the average daily traffic over the bridge is about 400 cars per day with a cost to replace the bridge upwards of $25 million.

Bristol Township has actively been seeking grant funds for the replacement of the bridge for the past three years.

"With so many higher traffic volume bridges with structural deficiencies in this region, we presume that the low volume of traffic does not make this bridge have a high-scoring grant application,” Elton said.