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King Street Bridge Replacement Over Manatawny Creek

Project Details
Location:Borough of Pottstown, Montgomery County, PAClient:PennDOT District 6-0Completion Date:Design Completed: December 2019, Construction Completed: April 2022Cost:$4.2 MillionShare

For PennDOT District 6-0, TPD provided structural and highway engineering services for the replacement of a 60-year-old non-composite adjacent box beam bridge. The King Street Bridge was in overall poor condition, had a sufficiency rating of 2, a 15-ton weight limit, narrow sidewalks and was in a flood prone area. With an ADT of 9,000 vehicles per day, high pedestrian traffic levels (especially during special events at a nearby park), and consideration of bike lane upgrades throughout the Borough, a lane diet was applied to the roadway (resulting in the removal of one lane) in conjunction with the addition of bike lanes, widened sidewalks and upgraded ADA compliant crossings. Many safety issues were resolved by applying the changes outlined above in addition to removing the bridge weight limit restrictions, adding upgraded approach guiderail and bridge railing, the roadway alignment and pavement markings. The overall result was an intersection and bridge that now supports large turning vehicles and provides safer overall conditions for vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians.

Additionally, decorative street lighting was added to improve pedestrian safety and nighttime visibility. Street lighting was painted black, and a brick form liner was used to create a context sensitive design that matched well with the surrounding community. Highway design and safety issues also resulted in the lowering of the speed limit along King Street to 25MPH. The sum result of the above project considerations was a bridge that matched well with Pottstown Borough’s master planning.

During construction, drivers were detoured to Route 100, Route 724, and South Hanover Street. The temporary pedestrian access route involved the use of sidewalks, one block south, on the nearby High Street Bridge. Further complicating the design was the presence of underground and aerial utilities (gas, and telecommunications) that had to be temporarily and permanently relocated to allow for the construction of the new bridge. Through extensive coordination with all the utility companies, and constructability checks, it was determined that a temporary utility bridge was required to accelerate the project schedule.

As the prime consultant TPD was responsible for completing engineering design for the proposed bridge replacement, including: Structure & Roadway Design, Environmental and Permitting Signals, Right-of-Way Plans, Drainage Design, Utility Coordination and Relocation, Project Management and Public Involvement.