The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission reports that the Uhlerstown-Frenchtown Toll-Supported Bridge restoration project is halfway through and is on track to be finished this fall.
By mid-July, painting should be finished, allowing workers to start removing the bridge’s upper work platform. At the same time, new steel supports for the bridge’s walkway are being installed and painted.
Crews intend to begin installing a new walking surface composed of panels reinforced with foam-core fiber and related rails by the middle of July. In time for the yearly Riverfest festival over Labor Day weekend, officials want to have the new boardwalk up and running.
In order to make room for more project components, such as steel repairs, the installation of a new electrical power system, and bridge illumination, the traffic diversion heading into Pennsylvania, which has been in place since February 20, will remain in place past Labor Day weekend. Although further nighttime bridge closures will be required to finish concrete road surface work at both ends of the span, the detour is currently anticipated to terminate in October.
Repairing the steel superstructure, cleaning and repainting all truss sections and bearings, and installing new tubular-steel railings in place of the existing guide rails are all part of the six-span Warren-truss bridge’s rehabilitation. With this modification, the road deck width of the bridge will expand from 16 feet 6 inches to 17 feet 1 inch, a seven-inch increase.
In addition, the lighting systems on the roadway and pedestrian walkways have been replaced, the stone masonry has been repaired, a programmable color-changing LED lighting system has been added to highlight the bridge’s architectural features at night, and a wider, non-slip walkway surface with new handrails has been installed.
Last restored in 2001, the 93-year-old steel bridge spans Frenchtown Borough and the Uhlerstown portion of Tinicum Township, Pennsylvania. It still has a 12-foot, 6-inch height restriction, a 15-ton weight limit, and a 15-mph speed limit. Every day, about 4,800 vehicles cross the bridge.
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