PA Turnpike Official: Delaware River Bridge Closed 'Minimum Of Two Weeks'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A top official of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission told state Senators Tuesday morning that a major crack in a steel beam means Delaware River Bridge will be closed for at least two weeks – in a best case scenario.
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Chief Operating Officer Craig Shuey told the Senate Transportation Committee Tuesday that he cannot accurately speculate on how long the Delaware River Bridge might be closed. He says support piers are being erected to stabilize the situation, and that will take a week to ten days.
Closing Of Heavily Traveled Bridge Sends Commuters Scrambling For Alternatives
"And there will be some period of time afterwards where we have to study what that bridge structure looks like once it's been supported. So… we're looking at a minimum of two weeks of remaining closure, and probably much longer than that."
Shuey says the worst case scenario would involve having to rebuild the section of the bridge where the crack developed, but declined to speculate on how long that might take.
Meanwhile, Shuey believes traffic flowed "relatively well" during the first two morning commutes since the closure, but he says the traffic situation in the detours is being constantly evaluated.
