West Maple Avenue Bridge Closure Delayed

The closure of the West Maple Avenue (Route 213) bridge that connects Middletown and Lower Southampton has been delayed by several days.

According to Middletown officials, the bridge will now close to traffic on Monday, July 21. Signage posted recently stated the original closing date was Wednesday, July 16.

PennDOT said in a recent statement that the roughly 60-year-old West Maple Avenue bridge will remain closed for up to two years until the $7.3 million dollar reconstruction project is finished.

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 10,300 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.

PennDOT officials said the bridge is expected to be slightly wider and feature a shoulder but no sidewalk.

As part of the project, PennDOT will redo the intersection of Maple Avenue and Bridgetown Pike. The intersection will feature a new single-lane roundabout to “move traffic smoothly and safely through the intersection,” according to a statement.

“This critical bridge and intersection improvement project on Route 213 is one of many projects in our region that are advancing to construction this year because of the state’s landmark transportation plan,” PennDOT District 6 Executive Les Toaso said.

The existing bridge was built in 1929.