Delaware River Bridge Work Ahead Of Schedule, No Further Problems Found

Work to repair the Delaware River Bridge is ahead of schedule and hasn’t run into any major obstacles.

The work, at least so far, has given Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission engineer Brad Heigel optimism that the span will not need major overhaul work or replacement, the Associated Press reported.

The 1.2-mile span that connects the Pennsylvania and New Jersey turnpikes was closed on January 20 when an inspector checking out paint work found a 14-inch steel truss cracked above Bristol Township. The truss cracked under the westbound lanes of travel and caused the bridge structure to drop at least two inches.

Heigel said that inspections had found no additional major issues as of Friday.

If repairs and related work keeps on schedule, the bridge that carries 42,000 vehicle daily could reopen early next month.

“Crews began using post-tensioning devices this week to bring the damaged truss back into alignment. Once that is completed, the permanent splice will be installed. Over the next few weeks crews will perform any other minor repairs needed on the truss, and load testing and evaluations will be performed to see how the repaired bridge responds,” a Friday statement from the Turnpike said.

The early concern was that inspections would find more problems that would cause months or even years of closure until the bridge could be fully repaired and replaced.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and New Jersey Turnpike Authority, who both co-own the bridge, are continuing to work with their experts, consultants and scientists to determine what caused the 14-inch crack to the truss.

In the days after the crack was found, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported University of Texas at Austin Professor Emeritus Karl Frank observed a now-obsolete technique was used to fill holes in the bridge’s beam and suggested it may be a cause.

A Turnpike official told LevittownNow.com last month that the technique – plug welds – were being eyed by engineers as a possible cause.

Heavy loads that came across the bridge around the time the crack was discovered along with temperature changes and high winds also may have played a role.

The beam that recently cracked was placed during the bridge’s construction in the mid-1950s and was regularly inspected.

The bridge closure has added thousands of additional vehicle onto local area roads, I-95, the Burlington Bristol Bridge and Route 13.

Radcliffe Street and the residential streets under the bridge will remain blocked until the bridge is reopened.