Special Report ~ February 19, 2009
| Road closed signs and piles of gravel block the bridge over the Perkiomen Creek on Salford Station Road in Upper Salford Township. The bridge is one of three in need of repair in the township. |
Upper Salford Township Residents Mad About Bridge Closures
By Russell Hessler
Correspondant
Upper Salford residents are tired of running up against “Road Closed” signs in their township. And with two bridges currently closed, and a third main artery about to shut down, they came to the Feb. 10 board of supervisors’ meeting seeking answers.
Supervisor Chairman Kevin O’Donnell told the residents in attendance that supervisors recently met with officials from Lower Frederick Township and Montgomery County. At the meeting, sponsored by Pennsylvania Senator Rob Wonderling, Pennsylvania Representative Bob Mensch and PennDOT, officials discussed the timetable for the rebuilds of the Spring Mount Road Bridge and the steel bridge on Salford Station Road. Both bridges transverse the Perkiomen Creek, connect Upper Salford and Lower Frederick townships, and are maintained by PennDOT.
The Spring Mount Road bridge is currently open. Funding for the bridge, near the intersection of Clemmer’s Mill Road, is already in place and once one right-of-way issue is resolved and the bidding process completed, construction can begin. According to Supervisor Ken Hagey, the bidding process should be completed sometime between April and June.
Once a successful bid has been received, PennDOT will then officially close the bridge to all traffic. Hagey went on to say that the project should take anywhere from one year to 18 months to complete. The new span will have two lanes for vehicular traffic and a separate lane that will connect the Perkiomen Trail between the two townships.
The supervisors said neither PennDOT nor Montgomery County has a plan in place at this time for handling the trail detour until the new bridge is completed. However, since this road is a major throughway, the detour will have a broad effect on traffic in the region and the response time for emergency vehicles. One point of contention brought up about the detour has to do with the traffic light cycle at the Main Street, Park Avenue and Game Farm Road intersections in Schwenksville Borough.
Although no representatives from the borough were at the meeting, some of the residents and supervisors remembered traffic back-ups as long as one hour the last time a bridge was closed in the area. The supervisors expressed concern that PennDOT adjust the timing for the signal and possibly install a temporary left turn lane going south on Route 29 (Main Street) at Park Avenue.
The steel bridge on Salford Station Road, below the intersections of Salford Street and Quarry Road, was also discussed. The bridge was closed by PennDOT unexpectedly two months ago. All three supervisors expressed disdain with the way it was handled. Both Poatsy and O’Donnell stated emphatically the township was given less than 24hours notice.
According to Township Secretary Susan Rosato, a phone call was received at the township building just hours before the bridge closing on Dec. 17, 2008. Officials also expressed dismay with the lack of answers from PennDOT for the reasons for the unexpected closure. PennDOT administrators reportedly said it was because of structural integrity and rust. “They didn’t even offer to show us any engineering reports,” both Poatsy and O’Donnell said.
The supervisors informed residents it will stay permanently closed until it is replaced. No monies have been earmarked for this project as of yet. However, surveys for the rebuilding project are already in progress. The surveys and engineering, which will include environmental impact studies, will not be completed until 2011, according to PennDOT. Additionally, it may take until 2014 before construction can begin. There is reportedly no money for the project at this time. Again, Poatsy and O’Donnell advised the residents in attendance that dealing with a natural waterway poses unbelievable challenges for construction projects simply due to environmental issues.
The third bridge discussed at the supervisors meeting was not on the joint meeting agenda. It is the old wooden bridge along Salford Station Road behind the township building. A brief history traces its original owners to the former Reading Railroad. The bridge continued to be used as a single lane structure, with weight restrictions, until two years ago. At that time, PennDOT was conducting bridge inspections and deemed it unsafe, ordering to be closed.
Since then, both the county and the township have been battling with each other over ownership. The township contends the county owns it because they brought the rights to land for the Perkiomen Trail and the bridge is part of that land. The county denies that contending only ownership of the trail itself and not any other “appendages.” One of the more popular solutions suggested was to remove the bridge completely, lower the road grade, and raise the trail grade, so the two intersect, like the crossing at Harmon Road. However, the board made it known they will not proceed forward with this project until they settle the right-of-way issues with the county, who still owns the trail. O’Donnell stressed to those in attendance to contact their state and even federal elected officials and exert pressure on them so these projects can be expedited.