An historic one-lane truss bridge that spanned the North Branch of Bermudian Creek in Franklin Township has a new home. The bridge will now serve as a pedestrian, lightweight vehicle bridge that will span a tributary to Fox Run in a new park behind Dover Area High School.
The bridge was built in 1890. It is 14.5 feet wide and is rated to hold up to seven tons. Meadow View Road, officially designated as state route 4038, averaged 220 vehicles traveled daily. A section of the road just east of Route 15 was closed on June 23rd in preperation for the bridges move.
Dover Township won a bid for the bridge through a Pennsylvania Department of General Services auction.
The $747,405 contract to replace the bridge was awarded to Lobar Site Development Corp. of Dillsburg, York County, and includes the removal and replacement of the existing one-lane single-span truss bridge with a new pre-stressed concrete structure that will accommodate two 10-foot lanes and two-foot shoulders.
PennDOT advises travelers that Meadow View Road will be closed to through traffic for four months. Until then, a detour which follows Franklin Church Road and Capitol Hill Road will be in place. Work under this construction contract is scheduled to be completed by the end of October at which point the new bridge will be opened to traffic.