Randall Avenue Bridge Getting $2 Million For Repairs

BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, PA —The troubled Randall Avenue Bridge is getting some support that might lead to its reopening sometime in the future.

The structure —closed since February 2023 —will receive a $2 million grant towards its repair and renovation, two Lower Bucks County lawmakers have announced.

State Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D-10) and Representative Tina Davis (D-141) said the state funding for the bridge work comes from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Multimodal Transportation Fund.

“The repair and reopening of the Randall Avenue bridge is critical for the safety of Bristol Township residents,” Santarsiero said. “This is an important first step while state and federal officials support the township’s long-term goal of rebuilding and replacing the structure."

The township conducted an "immediate shutdown" of the bridge on Feb. 23, 2023, citing safety reasons over falling concrete onto the Amtrak railway tracks.

“The recent report of loose and falling concrete onto the Amtrak railway tracks is a very new issue and concern and is the reason why there is a need for an immediate shutdown of the bridge until we can determine if a temporary correction can be safely made,” Township Manager Randee Elton said at the time of the closure.

Township officials said that the average daily traffic over the bridge was about 400 cars a day with a cost to replace the bridge upwards of $25 million.

The bridge, owned and maintained by Bristol Township, crosses the train tracks operated by Amtrak along its Northeast Corridor route.

Sen. Santarsiero and Rep. Davis participated in a public meeting in January 2024 to hear directly from residents about the importance of safely reopening the bridge.

"Residents have been very patient throughout this process, and we owe it to them to ensure critical public safety personnel can get to them in a timely manner," Davis said. "I am hopeful that this funding will help make that goal a reality very soon.”

Bristol Township Council President Craig Bowen said that the funding along with support from U.S. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick emphasizes "all of our commitment to ensuring safe and reliable transportation for all residents and visitors, and more specifically to our Edgely residents we heard from during our Town Hall Meeting."

"With these grant funds, we will work to restore and reopen the “Edgely” Bridge, while continuing to seek funding for a much-needed full bridge replacement,” Bowen said.

The Multimodal Transportation Fund provides grants to encourage economic development and ensure that a safe and reliable system of transportation is available to the residents of the Commonwealth.