Allentown, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Engineering District 5 announced Friday the new PA 562 Bridge over Manatawny Creek in Amity Township, Berks County is open.
The PA 562 Bridge was originally expected to open in the fall of 2018 but was delayed several times. The delays were due to issues with the footing for one of the two bridge abutments, and the bridge pier needed to be redesigned due to solid ground under the creek being deeper than expected. Actual underground conditions occasionally differ from what test drilling shows during the design of a bridge, as was the case with this project.
Work began in May 2018 to replace the 2-span steel stringer bridge with a 2-span concrete bulb-tee beam bridge. During construction PA 562 was closed and detoured between Old Airport Road and PA 662. Local access was maintained for property owners in the area.
New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co., Inc. New Enterprise, Pa., is the general contractor on the $2,467,134 project.
The old PA 562 Bridge was constructed in 1938 and reconstructed in 1972. It was 146 feet long and 36 feet wide. The new bridge is 146 feet long and 37 feet wide. This section of PA 562 has an average daily traffic volume of 5,845 vehicles.
For more information on projects occurring or being bid this year, those made possible by or accelerated by the state transportation funding plan (Act 89), or those on the department’s Four and Twelve Year Plans, visit www.projects.penndot.gov.
Motorists can check 511PA before we they travel for the latest conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 950 traffic cameras.
511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.
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