PennDOT maintenance crews today closed the sidewalk on the bridge that carries Marietta Avenue (Route 772) over the Amtrak railroad tracks in Mount Joy Borough, Lancaster County. PennDOT closed the sidewalk as a safety precaution after a bridge inspection indicated significant deterioration of some of the supporting steel beams for the sidewalk. For the safety of pedestrians and others using the sidewalk, the sidewalk on the bridge is no longer available for public use. Instead, pedestrians are directed to use the Market Street bridge located a short distance to the west.
The closure pertains only to the sidewalk; the rest of the bridge remains open and is safe for vehicular traffic under the current posted restrictions prohibiting vehicles weighing more than 15 tons, or truck-trailer combinations weighing more than 25 tons. Only one truck at a time is allowed across the bridge. Nearly 5,200 vehicles cross this bridge on a daily basis.
This steel thru-truss bridge was built in 1896. It is currently classified as structurally deficient. PennDOT has awarded a design/build contract in the amount of $2,471,733 to J.D. Eckman, Inc. of Atglen, Pennsylvania, to repair the substructure and replace the steel superstructure of the bridge. PennDOT is currently working with Amtrak to obtain an agreement for the construction activities to proceed. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2013 – in the spring at the earliest. During construction, the bridge will be closed and traffic will be detoured. The project is anticipated to take a little more than one year to complete