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​Headquarters Road Bridge Improvement Project

Project Overview

PennDOT is replacing the bridge that carries Headquarters Road over Tinicum Creek in Tinicum Township, Bucks County.

The department has worked closely with project stakeholders to develop a design which both meets the needs of the surrounding community while remaining sensitive to the surrounding environmental and cultural resources. 

Due to the existing structure’s geometry and limited roadway width, the existing single-lane bridge cannot safely and effectively accommodate current and future traffic needs including emergency response vehicles.

Heavy scour exists along the western abutment, resulting in the exposure of the bridge foundations and an increase in the structure’s vulnerability to further deterioration.

Under this $2.18 million project, PennDOT’s contractor will replace the existing 16-foot wide, single-lane, three-span encased steel stringer bridge, which is supported on a masonry substructure, with a new 24-foot wide, two-lane, two-span prestressed concrete spread box beam bridge set on concrete abutments and piers faced with stone from the existing structure. 

This project includes reconstructing approach roadways, performing drainage improvements and incorporating several mitigation techniques including reuse of existing stone from the bridge piers and abutments as stone facing on the new structure's abutment and piers; use of riparian plantings along the stream banks; reuse of the existing bridge plaque; installation of a new bridge plaque; and completion of measured drawings and recordation of the existing structure in the Library of Congress Historic American Engineering Record.

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Traffic Impact

PennDOT closed Headquarters Road bridge over Tinicum Creek on March 2, 2011, due to deterioration of the concrete deck. The structure carried 638 vehicles a day and was posted with a 10-ton weight limit at the time of its closure. Drivers will continue to use the posted detour during construction of the new bridge. 

Construction on this project is expected to begin this spring, pending the appeal of the State Water Obstruction and Encroachment Permit WOEP), and finish in May 2023.