Route 23 Bridge To Officially Open In Phoenixville At 1 P.M.

The moment of truth is here. Probably.

Phoenixville’s Route 23 Bridge over Pickering Creek will officially open at 1 p.m., according to the Transportation Management Authority of Chester County.

The news that the bridge’s opening was imminent first came on Monday night, when the Phoenixville Area School District announced that they’d been informed of the opening.

Local lawmakers caution that the 1 p.m. time is dependent upon some final touches.

“It is my understanding that PennDOT is putting the final touches on the Route 23 bridge,” Pennsylvania State Senator Andy Dinniman told the Times Herald on Monday. “However, before it is open to traffic, it needs to be inspected. If the inspection goes smoothly, it could be open as soon as tomorrow. If there are any issues that need to be addressed, it could take a few more days.”

The school district shared the following post on Facebook on Monday night:

We are very pleased to share the following update:

PASD has been informed the Route 23 Bridge at the Pickering Creek dam will be open to traffic sometime Tuesday, October 6th.

New bus routes for many families will go into effect on Wednesday, October 7th. Postcards have been mailed to all households who will be affected by these changes.

Replacement of the 48-year-old bridge over Pickering Creek, which lawmakers say is traveled by nearly 20,000 vehicles a day, began on April 20.

“Thank you so much to the hard working contractors who finished this project so quickly,” the Transportation Management Authority said.

The bridge has been a point of contention in the borough since April, as the completion date seemed to constantly fluctuate.