Officials, Upset Residents Talk Randall Avenue Bridge Closure & Possible Reopening

At a special public meeting on Tuesday evening, Bristol Township officials said they were more confident that the Randall Avenue bridge saga was slowly nearing a period where they would have some answers for the public.

Bristol Township Council Vice President Cindy Murphy started the meeting by telling residents a lot had developed in the 24 hours leading up to the in-person and virtual meeting.

Bristol Township officials and its engineering consultant were joined by Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick a Republican; State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, a Democrat; and State Rep. Tina Davis, a Democrat, for the town hall meeting to update the public and hear feedback on the closure of the crumbling bridge. The meeting also had an official from Amtrak listening, but the rail company official had little to say.

However, Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner visited the bridge on Monday and met with Bristol Township officials.

Township officials said one idea being investigated is whether the bridge can have temporary repairs completed and reopened until a long-term fix has been found.

By all accounts, the long-term fix would be ripping down the current circa-1919 bridge and replacing it with a modern span, which has been estimated to cost $25 million.

Kurt Schroeder, the township engineer, said Bristol Township has located a contractor who has said they can work on inspections and remove loose concrete that is falling on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, SEPTA’s Trenton Line, and freight lines below the bridge in the Edgely section of the township.

“We believe we can make the bridge safe … but we are not a position now with the information we have now to know what the ultimate disposition will be,” Schroeder said.

Schroeder added that a full inspection to determine the extent of the damage and whether the steel strengthening the bridge is damaged.

Township Manager Randee Elton didn’t name the contractor who has said they could do a full inspection because they have not been hired.

“I don’t want to name anyone because they could walk away,” she said.

The project is considered an emergency and that will reduce time on bidding, the township manager said.

As LevittownNow.com has reported since the closure began last February, the township has had difficulty in finding a contractor to take on the review of the bridge due to safety restrictions.

On Tuesday evening, Schroeder explained that strict safety rules by Amtrak have caused problems in finding a specialized vehicle to access the bridge and the hours they can work are limited to only a short window in the early morning.

Problems have also been caused by an inspection vehicle that kept having mechanical issues, a storm that impacted the rails, and wildfire smoke that raised safety concerns, Schroeder said.

Some contractors, according to officials, talked with the township and never got back to them.

“We’ve been ghosted by many” Murphy said.

The councilperson said it was recently determined a truck that needs to go onto the rails to inspect the underside of the bridge might not be needed and equipment on the side of the rails could be used.

Schroeder explained that the bridge is presently unsafe to reopen without the condition of the damage being known and the fact that much of the damage has been caused by trucks ignoring the weight limit and crossing it.

“We don’t want the vibration of vehicles to cause any more deterioration of the concrete,” Kurt added.

Elton said township officials are continuously applying for more grants to get funding for the project.

The township already has some state funding for the abutment work. However, officials needs to have a full scope of the bridge’s condition.

The township could dip into its reserves to pay for the work, but grant money would ease the impact if the replacement costs as much as $25 million.

Fitzpatrick said the fact that the CEO of Amtrak visited Bristol Township was important and residents should appreciate that. He added that state and federal lawmakers will work to get the funding for the bridge replacement.

Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito said adjustments have been made so emergency crews avoid the bridge and maintain fast responses by adding other fire companies and ambulance squads if the bridge closure will slow crews down. The Edgely Fire Company sits near the bridge, but its trucks has to take a several-minute detour to get to homes on the other side of the rail line because of the closure.

“We’re on an island when it’s flood time. It’s not about the 10 minutes more to get to the store or wherever we have to go. This has been a concern to us even before the bridge got shut down. And it doesn’t get fixed,” said one resident, who returned from Florida to attend the meeting.

There were some tense moments as residents raised doubts that the bridge would be fixed and whether the local taxpayers should be stuck with the bill.

Councilperson Patrick Antonello said he agreed that the state, Amtrak, and the federal government should help pay for the project, but he said the bridge is owned by the township and it is ultimately its responsibility.

“But I agree,” he said. “There’s no reason our small township and the taxpayers in this township should have to pay for this.”

Antonello said it took Fitzpatrick a year to get the CEO of Amtrak, who oversees a nationwide rail system, to see the bridge. He added he doesn’t expect things to move quickly.

Noting that Amtrak often gets taxpayer subsidies, one resident, whose family has used the bridge for 100 years, called on Fitzpatrick and federal officials to obtain funding for replacement of the bridge.

A representative for Fitzpatrick’s office told the upset public the team is working on obtaining federal dollars.

Another resident said she wanted to tell Fitzpatrick to his face that the bridge needs to be funded, but she hadn’t had the chance to see him in person. She was disappointed he joined via Zoom. It appeared Fitzpatrick left the call by the time the public comment session rolled around.

Residents voiced complaints that trucks heavier than the weight allowed on the bridge crossed for years, causing damage and a dangerous situation for residents.

Township officials said police have and will continue to monitor truck traffic in the area of the bridge.

A resident pressed township officials on how the bridge got into the shape it was in, leading to an emergency closures as parts of it were dangerously crumbling onto the tracks below.

Speaking to residents, Antonello said the township had poor record keeping before the current administration and that has hindered attempts to learn more on the span.

“The business of the township was not always run as well as it should have been,” he said. “Knowing that, we can’t answer that question.”

The township manager did state during the meeting that township officials had been seeking repairs for the bridge before the closure was needed.

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