A section of Radcliffe Street in Bristol Township will remain open to traffic and will be reduced to one lane as construction continues on a rail line branch.
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Silvi Materials, the company behind the rail project, initially planned a full closure of the 7900 block of North Radcliffe Street as it reactivates a rail branch crossing the area. However, the plan changed after local residents expressed concerns about limited access due to the ongoing closure of the nearby Randall Avenue bridge.
Residents worried that the simultaneous closures would leave them with only one exit from their neighborhood and potentially hamper access for emergency services, especially if road flooding occurred.
After hearing the concerns, Bristol Township Council President Craig Bowen said the municipality took action last week.
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A letter was sent to Silvi officials and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, with Tullytown Borough also being informed of the issue.
By Monday afternoon, an agreement was reached with Silvi Materials to keep one lane open during the construction period, according to Township Manager Randee Mazur.
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The single-lane closure could begin as soon as later this week.
The rail line project, which was detailed in June by Tim Kurtz, vice president of Silvi Materials, is to restore and utilize tracks previously removed by Amtrak.
The project is being funded by Silvi and in collaboration with Amtrak and Conrail.
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The rail branch is intended to facilitate the transport of cement powder and reduce truck traffic on local roads.
Kurtz noted that the reinstated rail line will host about two crossings per week, with each train carrying 20 to 30 cars.
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While crossing gates will be installed at the new rail branch, they are not mandated by current regulations.
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