Photo Shows Bridge Over Neshaminy Creek Crumbling

PennDOT officials weren’t lying when they said the West Maple Avenue bridge that connects Middletown to Lower Southampton was falling apart.

A photo of the bridge taken Wednesday by LevittownNow.com show the damage to the exterior of the structure. Pieces of concrete can even be seen resting on a support arch.

PennDOT said in a recent statement the 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 closed on Monday 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 constructed 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.

A Philly.com article from April cites data that shows Pennsylvania has the most unsound bridges out of any state in the country.