DV Journal

(From a press release)

Delaware County Council Member Christine Reuther and Delaware County Council Vice Chair Richard Womack joined Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon and representatives from Darby Township and PennDOT on July 1 to hold a ribbon cutting to officially reopen the Tribbett Avenue Bridge.

The newly built bridge, also known as County Bridge #237, runs across Hermesprota Creek and services a heavily trafficked road through Sharon Hill and Folcroft within Darby Township, and has a number of important safety and water management improvements.

The reconstruction of the Tribbett Avenue Bridge began in June 2022, replacing the original reinforced concrete slab bridge that was constructed in 1932. The scope of work for the bridge included:

• Replacement of a concrete slag with a composite prestress concrete adjacent plank beam, which carries all legal loads, including school buses and emergency vehicles.
• Installation of sidewalk to provide a safe and continuous pedestrian walkway.
• Upgrades to the existing drainage facility by installing additional inlets and updating the drainage pipes.
• An increased hydraulic opening which will decrease the water surface elevation of the 100-year flood
• Relocation the PECO Gas main which was attached to the face of the structure has been relocated under the stream.
• Upgrades to safety features, including the installation of a guide rail to current standards.

“Safe and reliable infrastructure is critical,” said Council Member Reuther. “Delaware County Council remains committed to investing in our bridge infrastructure. As noted in the transportation section of our County Comprehensive Plan, improving the safety and capacity of our transportation network is a key goal.”

The $1.75 million project was funded using federal and state funds.

“The County of Delaware is grateful to our funding partners and we will continue to demonstrate our commitment to investing in infrastructure that benefits county residents,” said Danielle Floyd, Delaware County’s director of public works. “Today’s bridge opening represents the progress the county is making to prioritize replacement of structurally deficient bridges”.

Pennsylvania has the ninth largest bridge inventory in the nation. Despite a 4.5 percent decrease in the number of poor condition bridges, Pennsylvania contains the second highest number of poor condition bridges among the 50 states. While the state has significantly reduced the number of poor condition bridges through traditional and non-traditional means such as Public-Private Partnerships, inadequate funding over the years has failed to address the ever-increasing repair deficit.

“This is why passage of the 2021 bipartisan Infrastructure Law was so important,” said Reuther. “Over the next four years, Pennsylvania can make advancements to offset the growing deferred maintenance backlog.”

Of the 43 Bridges owned by the county, four bridges remain in poor condition.

The county has three additional bridges under construction, two of which are scheduled to open by the end of the year, representing an investment of over $11 million in 2024.

Through the County’s bridge program, Delaware County continues to demonstrate good use of federal and state dollars to improve the safety of the county’s transportation network. The county remains committed to working with DVRPC, PennDOT, and our state and federal delegations to advocate for increased funding to invest in our roads, bridges, and highways on behalf of county residents and taxpayers. PennDOT in particular has been an invaluable partner in these efforts.

“Working with Delaware County, Darby Township, and Folcroft Borough officials has been a great experience, and we are excited and pleased to be able to restore this crucial connection for these communities,” said PennDOT Assistant Construction Engineer Robert Magee. “We’re especially appreciative of the work of McCormick Taylor, the Design Consultant; TPD, Inc., the Construction Inspection Consultant, and R.E. Pierson Construction Co., Inc., the Prime Contractor for their exceptional work on this project, which has been two years in the making.”

Officials thanked PennDOT, under the direction of Secretary Mike Carroll and District 6 Executive Din Abazi,; McCormick Taylor, the Design Consultant; TPD, Inc.; the Construction Inspection Consultant, and R.E. Pierson Construction Co., Inc., the Prime Contractor, for their work on this project that has reconnected Tribbett Avenue for the residents of Darby Township.