November 6, 2009

Contact: Joe Donnelly (215) 862-7693 or Pete Peterson (215) 893-4297

RIEGELSVILLE, PA - The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission hosted an open house yesterday evening on its upcoming rehabilitation project for the Riegelsville Toll-Supported Bridge, attended by 124 residents, motorists and local business owners.

The Commission holds open houses with the public on most major projects, especially those necessitating significant traffic detours and posing impacts for residents and local business owners. 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.

Displays included general photos of the existing bridge, examples of inspection findings, schematics of the bridge elements requiring repair, and potential detours. Project fact sheets and public comment cards also were made available at the open house.

"It was very encouraging to see such strong public participation for this open house," said Frank G. McCartney, the DRJTBC's executive director. "The good attendance underscores the level of community pride that exists for this very unique suspension bridge. I believe the session helped reinforce how the rehabilitation project is necessary due to the bridge's deteriorating condition."

The bridge already has the Commission's lowest weight limit - 2-1/2 tons. While the bridge is safe to handle this posted load limit, steps need to be taken now to prevent protracted emergency closures that would pose severe negative repercussions for motorists, businesses and surrounding communities. The rehabilitation project would extend the bridge's useful life, with the goal of avoiding any major repairs or rehabilitation requiring bridge closures for at least 15 years.

The open house is part of a public-involvement program for the project that includes the issuance of press releases, the creation of a project-specific Web page, advertisements, and two previous stakeholder meetings with public officials and local businesses.

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 options were as follows:

• Option 1 would be a total bridge closure - round-the-clock seven days a week - with 50 days worth of traffic detours. Work would occur 11 hours each day with construction activities lasting 7 months and costing an estimated $4 million.
• Option 2 would involve weekday nighttime closures - 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. - plus six extended weekend closures, with 70 days worth of traffic detours. Work would be limited to 9 hour periods with construction activities lasting 9 months and costing an estimated $4.5 million. The Commission would seek a noise variance for this option.
• Option 3 would involve only weekend bridge closures - Friday nights through Monday mornings - with 85 days worth of traffic detours. Work would occur round-the-clock during the bridge shutdown period, with construction activities lasting 10 months and costing an estimated $5 million. The Commission also would seek a noise variance for this option.

After compiling the public comments from the open house and additional comments from public officials and business owners at two previous stakeholder meetings, Commission personnel will consider the community input and financial costs of the various alternatives. A decision should be announced before the end of the year.

It is anticipated that the eventual project 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 3 tons.

The Commission anticipates construction activities will begin in September 2010, with the project's duration ultimately determined by what bridge closure option gets chosen.

The rehabilitation project is part of the Commission's $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 Web page the Commission has created for the project may be viewed by going to the Commission Project's section of its Web site - www.drjtbc.org - and clicking on the Riegelsville Toll-Supported Bridge Rehabilitation menu item. The direct address is: http://www.drjtbc.org/default.aspx?pageid=1535.

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 rebuilt using reinforced concrete after being nearly demolished in a 1936 flood.

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.

The bridge handled a daily average of 3,400 vehicles in 2008.

About the Commission

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission was formed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey in 1934. It operates seven toll bridges and 13 toll-supported bridges, two of which are pedestrian-only spans. The Commission's jurisdiction extends along the Delaware River from the Philadelphia-Bucks County line north to the New Jersey/New York border. The bridges carried more than 140 million cars and trucks in 2008. For more information about the Commission and its various initiatives to deliver safer and more convenient bridge travel for its customers, please see: www.drjtbc.org.