Falls Bridge To Be Closed In February For Repairs
By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA CBS) -- The historic Falls Bridge will get a band aid fix over the next few months, but it still needs a multi-million dollar overhaul down the road.
Early next year, it will be closed to traffic for repairs.
The city inspects its bridges at least once every two years, and the Streets Department's Chief Engineer and Surveyor Darin Gatti says when they checked out the Falls Bridge, built in 1894, they found some issues.
"We noted some excessive deterioration of the connections between the floor beam and the roadway deck," said Gatti.
So, the city is putting out emergency bids, and contractors will begin work in January to shore up the corroded steel support structures.
In February, they'll have to close the Falls Bridge to vehicular traffic for about a month to install brackets and plates.
"We can't do the repairs with the vibration from the traffic."
They're hoping that it'll remain open for cyclists and pedestrians during the work.
Long term, over the next 5-6 years, Gatti envisions a larger $6-10 million project to replace the pads that the bridge sits on, more steel repairs, an entirely new concrete and asphalt deck, and a new paint job.
The Falls Bridge crosses the Schuylkill, connecting traffic from Martin Luther King Drive to East Falls. It's often considered part of the loop cyclists and runners use from the Art Museum and back.
