Reconstruction of Allentown’s Eighth Street Bridge could be finished up to one year sooner if the city agrees to completely close the bridge, city managing director Francis Dougherty told City Council Wednesday night.
The 102-year-old bridge is a key link to center city from the south.
Because of the $18.5-million construction project, traffic on the bridge is restricted to just one northbound lane. One sidewalk also remains open.
The bridge occasionally has been completely closed during the project, which began last year, but usually for no longer than several hours.
If the bridge is not completely closed, the work won’t be completed until mid-2016, said Allentown public works director Craig Messinger.
No formal request to close the bridge has yet been made to the city by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which owns the bridge.
The issue was raised when City Council president Ray O’Connell asked Messinger about the timeline for the Eighth Street Bridge during Wednesday’s meeting.
“We’re looking at 2016,” said Messinger, generating some surprised groans.
He added: “PennDOT did come to me and say that possibly they would give me a proposal about closing it down and trying to get it done maybe toward the end of this year, maybe the beginning of next year.”
But Messinger told council he has not yet received any formal proposal from PennDOT.
Elaborating, city managing director Francis Dougherty told council: “Informally, PennDOT had a discussion with Craig basically vetting the proposal that, if the city was amenable to shutting the entire bridge down, they could expedite completion of the project by almost a year.”
Dougherty said the city has waited and waited, but never received a formal request to do that from PennDOT.
“Once we do, we’ll bring that to council and we’ll have some deliberations, because there are some concerns about some of our school children who use that bridge.”
Jefferson Elementary School is just south of the bridge, at Eighth and Saint John streets. If the bridge would be closed completely to speed up the project, those children might have to be bused to school, said Dougherty.
“I’m glad you’re looking at it,” said O’Connell.
Outside the meeting, Messinger said closing the bridge completely probably would speed up completion of the project by six months rather than a year.
The possibility of expediting the reconstruction was suggested to PennDOT by the project contractor, IEW Construction Group of Trenton, N.J.
PennDOT passed the suggestion on to Messinger.
Messinger said if the city does get a formal request to close the bridge, the administration would take it to City Council because “it’s the right thing to do.”
He said a full closure would impact too many people to not do that.
Dougherty agreed, saying: “We would not have to come to council, but we would consult with council.”
He noted any full closure of the bridge also would involve discussions with Allentown School District.
“We don’t know all the impact, but since we never received a letter, we haven’t begun anything,”said Dougherty.
He said he’s losing hope PennDOT will ever send such a letter because more than month has passed since Messinger informally was advised the work could be completed sooner if the bridge would be closed.
“Maybe the circumstances have changed and they no longer feel that way, I don’t know.”
The bridge rehabilitation project began in May 2014. It always has been projected to be a two-year project.
“It just seems like it’s moving really slow,” said O’Connell, adding: “That’s just my perception.”
“I agree with you,” said council member Cynthia Mota.
Messinger indicated construction has been slowed by winter weather.
The project includes reconstructing both approaches to the bridge, replacing the entire bridge deck, constructing new alcoves, repairing bridge piers, reconstructing roadway approaches, installing new ornamental lighting, new sidewalks and curbs and decorative fencing designed to prevent suicides.
Messinger added “spot repairs” are being done on the entire bridge, explaining someone standing beneath it can look up and see areas where chunks of concrete have broken off and rebar is exposed.
Eighth Street Bridge was constructed in 1913 and last rehabilitated in 1973.
In 1974, the span was renamed Albertus L. Meyers Bridge, after a long-time conductor of the Allentown Band.
But most residents still know it simply as the Eighth Street Bridge.
Until the early 1950s, trolleys ran across the bridge and motorists had to pay tolls to cross it.
Messinger also reported to City Council that the American Parkway Bridge being constructed over the Lehigh River is 70 percent complete.
He said the American Parkway bridge will be finished by the end of this year.
He told council rehabilitation of the Tilghman Street Bridge, which also crosses the Lehigh River south of where the American Parkway Bridge is being built, will begin after that new bridge is completed.
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