Riegelsville Toll-Supported Bridge Rehabilitation Project

Construction activities for the multi-faceted rehabilitation of the 105-year-old Riegelsville Toll-Supported Bridge will intensify during the second week of August.  Motorists who use the bridge will begin to encounter off-peak weekday alternating lane closures on either Monday, August 9, or Tuesday, August 10.  The single-lane shutdowns may take place between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays from these dates until December 24.  Traffic will be controlled by flaggers when alternating lane closures are in effect.

Full bridge closures are intentionally being delayed from taking effect until after the summer tourism season ends with the Labor Day Weekend.

The Commission on May 24 approved a construction contract award to Neshaminy Constructors Inc. of Feasterville, Pa., the lowest bidder in a competitive bidding process that took place during the late winter and early spring.  The contract is for $6,334,560.15.

Project staging preparations, measuring and materials delivery work began in mid July.  Beginning the second week of August, work crews will begin to install containment measures on the bridge to prevent paint chips and other debris from entering the river and air.

The next significant construction juncture will take place after on or after September 7 and continue until December 1, when the contractor is expected to employ full closures of the bridge to pedestrians and vehicles from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weeknights (overnights Sunday/Monday to Thursday/Friday).  The contractor also has permission to employ up to six weekend shutdown (from 8 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday) between September 10 and December 1.  Off-peak weekday alternating lane closures also may continue to be employed, all the way up until the project's official completion date of December 24. 

This staging/scheduling approach for construction and lane closures -- identified as Option 2 -- was favored by 60 percent of participants in a public involvement/comment process the Commission conducted during the summer and fall of 2009.

The fall time frame for complete bridge closures was chosen in an effort to mitigate impacts to area businesses that rely on the Delaware River region's summer tourism season.  This postponement of bridge closures was made possible through the use of 11-hour weeknight shutdown periods -- two hours longer than originally considered.

Detours will be in effect during the periods when the bridge is out of service in the fall.  The bridge closures and detours are timed so they will not overlap with another rehabilitation project that the Commission plans to conduct at the nearby Upper Black Eddy-Milford Toll Supported Bridge in early 2011.

At 105 years old, the Riegelsville span is one of the Commission's oldest and most unique bridges. It is the only vehicular suspension span in the Commission's 20-bridge system. It is heralded by bridge historians as "one of the few (if not the only) remaining American multi-span highway suspension bridges with continuous cables." Finally, the bridge is the handiwork of John A. Roebling's Sons Company, the famous steel-cable manufacturing firm that built the world-famous Brooklyn Bridge.

While the bridge is currently safe to carry its posted load (2-1/2 tons - the lowest load rating for any DRJTBC vehicular bridge), the Commission stepped up efforts to rehabilitate the span after the agency's annual inspection report for 2008. The following are among the conditions identified in recent inspections:

• Severe deterioration of steel floor beams;
• Wheel paths of the steel-grid deck are worn;
• Lead-based paint system is deteriorating;
• Pennsylvania approach roadway exhibits cracking, unevenness and general deterioration; and
• The concrete and masonry piers and abutments are deteriorated.

The Commission studied several design and construction concepts to address the bridge's repair and rehabilitation. As a part of this planning work, the Commission hired a consulting engineering firm - Ammann and Whitney of Philadelphia - with expertise in planning suspension bridge rehabilitation projects. A major project objective is to preserve the bridge's historical integrity while incorporating more modern and durable materials to enhance safety and performance.

The project work will include rehabilitating or replacing the bridge's steel floor system and sidewalks, painting the bridge's superstructure, rehabilitating the substructure above the waterline, milling and repaving the Pennsylvania approach to the bridge, upgrading bridge lighting, and improving the signage on the bridge's approaches.

When the project is completed, engineers anticipate the bridge's load rating could be increased to three tons. The repairs and improvements also should improve the bridge's condition so it will not need major repairs or protracted lane closures for at least 15 years.

As part of the engineering design work for the bridge rehabilitation, the Commission worked with local elected officials, residents, and businesses in an effort to raise public awareness and mitigate the impact of this rehabilitation effort. These public-involvement activities helped Commission personnel decide upon the length of the construction schedule and how to stage the project. The Commission also publicized the project on several occasions and it will maintain this Web page to help keep the public abreast of major project milestones. The Commission also had direct meetings with stakeholders such as elected officials and business owners, as well as an open house for the general public.

The open house, which was held November 5, 2009 at the municipal building in Riegelsville, Pa, was attended by 124 individuals, including area residents, motorists who use the bridge, and local business owners.  A press release on the open house is available in the News & Travel section of this Web site, which may be accessed by clicking here.  The session consisted of a variety of viewing stations where the public was able to examine project concepts, ask questions, and comment on the project to the project design/engineering team.  The primary objective of the open house was to gather comment on the various scheduling options and construction staging alternatives that are under consideration.

The open house display materials, including the various construction-duration and cost options under consideration, are available for viewing by clicking here.

The rehabilitation project is part of the Commission's long-term $1 billion-plus capital improvement program for system preservation, management, security and enhancement. The cost of the program is ultimately paid through revenues generated at the Commission's seven toll bridges; the agency does not receive federal or state funding for its operations.

The Riegelsville Toll-Supported Bridge connects the Borough of Riegelsville in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with the Riegelsville section of Pohatcong Township in Warren County, New Jersey. The original bridge at the location -- a covered wooden structure -- was constructed in 1835. It remained in service until the entire superstructure was swept away by the flood of October 10, 1903, often referred to as "The Pumpkin Flood."

The existing bridge, constructed in 1904, is a three-span suspension structure with a total length of 577 feet. The sidewalk railing is actually a double-warren truss, assisting in stiffening the bridge roadway. The substructure, masonry piers originally built in 1835, were raised and built up in 1904. The pier nearest the Pennsylvania approach was almost completely demolished in the flood of 1936 and was subsequently rebuilt using reinforced concrete.

The bridge handled a daily average of 3,200 vehicles in 2009, a year when it ranked as the most infrequently driven bridge in the Commission's 20-bridge system.

Members of the public who may have questions or concerns about the project are urged to contact:

Richard McClellan
Director of Community Affairs
(267) 790-1063
rmcclellan@drjtbc.org