Brownsville Road Bridge Reopens Ahead Of Schedule & $1 Million Under Budget

The reconstructed bridge over Brownsville Road opened to traffic Thursday, finishing 15 months ahead of schedule and $1 million under budget.

PennDOT officials removed road-closed signs shortly after lunchtime and allowed vehicles to cross the span connecting Middletown and Lower Southampton townships over the Neshaminy Creek.

State, county, and township officials gathered late Thursday morning to mark the completion of the project, which state Sen. Frank Farry, a Republican, noted came in below its original $12.1 million budget.

The replacement project was first projected to take 34 months to complete, PennDOT officials said.

“Thanks to the collaboration between state and local officials and the team at Loftus Construction, we reduced the project timeline by 15 months by implementing a detour and temporarily closing the bridge,” Din Abazi, the PennDOT District 6 executive, said. “This truly exemplifies the power of teamwork.”

Farry and State Rep. Joe Hogan, a Republican, celebrated the reopening of the span.

The bridge is named in honor of U.S. Army Pfc. George Raymond Huntzinger.

Ed Preston, who has spearheaded an effort to rename state and county bridges for fallen service members, recognized Huntzinger at Thursday’s event. A large dedication ceremony held to name the bridge after the soldier in 2024.

The newly built bridge is approximately 24 feet longer and nearly 10 feet wider than the previous structure, according to PennDOT.

The project incorporated several safety and design modifications, including raising the vertical alignment of the span over the Neshaminy Creek to provide a larger waterway opening and slightly improve sight distances for approaching drivers.

The new design has one less pier than the older bridge, which is intended to improve the natural flow of the creek.

Additional upgrades to the crossing include wider shoulders to improve sight distance at nearby intersections, enhanced stormwater management systems, a resurfaced approach roadway, and partially grouted riprap placed along the piers and abutments to protect the structure against scour and erosion.

Prior to its closure for demolition, the previous bridge carried an average of 6,991 vehicles daily, according to PennDOT.

The completion of the span follows the 2015 opening of the nearby West Maple Avenue bridge, which also crosses the Neshaminy Creek.