Structural issues temporarily close Chesco bridge following inspection, officials say
The bridge will eventually be entirely replaced, due to its age and condition, officials said.
A Chester County bridge that carries about 900 cars each day across the Brandywine Creek was immediately closed Tuesday after inspections revealed deterioration of the steel beams under the bridge, according to the county.
The bridge, located on North Reeds Road over East Branch Brandywine Creek in Upper Uwchlan and East Brandywine Townships, was barricaded off by local police Tuesday, following an inspection by the county’s department of facilities.
“In the interest of public safety, the bridge has been closed to all traffic effective immediately,” Eric Quinn, the bridge program manager for the county’s department of facilities, said in an email.
Traffic is being diverted to Lyndell Bridge.
The county’s consulting engineer is reviewing the inspection’s findings to determine next steps, Quinn said. Repairs will occur “as soon as possible” so that the bridge can quickly be reopened, but they hadn’t yet established a timeline, he said Wednesday.
A routine inspection of the 86-foot bridge showed there had been “section loss in several structural steel members,” Quinn said, prompting the immediate closure.
The bridge, owned by the county and known officially as Bridge No. 134, is the subject of a future replacement project, which seeks to entirely replace the nearly century-old, two-span bridge entirely. Preliminary engineering is currently underway; Quinn said that the department of facilities anticipates construction for that replacement to start in 2028.
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