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After two years, the Chestnut Street bridge is now open

When it closed in August 2019, about 18,700 cars a day crossed the Chestnut Street bridge, which was built in 1957.

Pedestrians cross and traffic moves on the just-reopened Chestnut Street Bridge Mar. 21, 2022.
Pedestrians cross and traffic moves on the just-reopened Chestnut Street Bridge Mar. 21, 2022.Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer
    by Rob Tornoe
    Published 

After more than two years of construction, the Chestnut Street Bridge over the Schuylkill reopened to traffic on Saturday night.

The 65-year-old bridge had been closed to vehicles since August 2019 so PennDot could repair and repaint its steel superstructure and replace the deck. There are also some upgrades, including wider sidewalks and a dedicated bicycle lane that extends along Chestnut Street between 34th and 22nd Streets.

At the time it was closed, about 18,700 cars a day crossed the bridge, which was built in 1957. There are some minor improvements that remain unfinished, so the bridge’s sidewalks and bicycle lanes may be impacted by short-term closures over the next few months.

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The work was part of a $105.1 million project that began in August 2017 that included repairs to eight other nearby structures on both sides of the river, according to PennDoT.

The stone arches on the bridge that carries traffic over the CSX Railroad and over 24th Street on the east side of the Schuylkill are still being rehabilitated, so 24th Street will remain closed at Chestnut Street until work is completed in early summer, PennDoT said.