County Commissioners to Hold Public Meeting on Arcola Road Bridge

From Montgomery County:

Norristown, PA (August 6, 2013) -- The Montgomery County Commissioners and the staff of the Department of Assets and Infrastructure will conduct a public meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, August 12 to discuss the current situation with Montgomery  County  Bridge  #135 (Arcola Road) over Perkiomen Creek.

The meeting, which will be held at the Arcola Intermediate School auditorium at 4000 Eagleville Road, will include discussion of future inspections, potential closing, proposed replacement schedule and resultant detours.

The Arcola Road Bridge, built in 1931, is slated to be replaced in a joint effort by the Federal

Highway Administration, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Montgomery County with funding responsibilities being 80 percent, 15 percent and five percent respectively.

Preliminary design for the bridge is complete, and is now undergoing final design. The current bridge will be replaced with a modem bridge that meets current PennDOT design standards for capacity and safety, and will include a pedestrian walkway.  In order to complete the replacement, the bridge will be required to close for 15 to 18 months requiring a detour.  The bridge currently has a 3-ton posting based on inspection findings in February, 2013.  If the bridge continues to deteriorate at its current rate, it will ultimately be closed to traffic prior to the start of construction.