The aging bridge that crosses the Neshaminy Creek and connects Middletown and Lower Southampton is slated to close this summer for reconstruction.
Credit: PennDOT
According to officials in Lower Southampton, PennDOT has informed them the roughly 60-year-old West Maple Avenue bridge could remain closed for up to two years.
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West Maple Avenue near the span will be closed except for local traffic until the bridge construction is finished on both sides of the bridge. PennDOT officials have said previously the new bridge will be adjusted to better handle the 11,000 cars that usually drive across it daily.
The new bridge is expected to keep the same arch-style design but take advantage of new construction techniques that require less annual maintenance to the span.
West Maple Avenue traffic will be detoured onto Brownsville Road and Bridgetown Pike until the new bridge opens.
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In 2012, PennDOT officials said the bridge is expected to be slightly wider and feature a small shoulder but no sidewalk.
PennDOT hopes to also redo the intersection of Bridgetown Pike and West Maple Avenue in Lower Southampton in the coming years. Several options, including a traffic roundabout, are on the table and a PennDOT spokesperson told LevittownNow.com in spring that no timetable for that project had been set.
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The West Maple Avenue bridge is currently in bad shape and its road surface features many patches.
