The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) invites the public to a virtual plans display for a project to replace the Lincoln Drive Bridge over Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad in Rush Township, Schuylkill County.
The purpose of the project is to provide a reliable crossing of Lincoln Drive over the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad. The existing bridge is a 38 feet long steel thru-girder bridge which was built in 1924 and has a condition rating of poor due to deterioration of the steel members. The bridge is posted with a weight restriction of 24 tons/33 tons combination.
The proposed bridge will have no weight restriction and will provide improved shoulder widths as well as increased vertical clearance for the railroad. The roadway, which carries an average daily traffic volume of 2,694 vehicles, will stay on a similar horizontal alignment while the vertical profile will be raised approximately 4 feet.
PennDOT invites community members to provide public input for the project. To access the webpage, visit www.PennDOT.gov/District5 click on the Public Meetings link under the District Links heading, pick the Schuylkill County box, and then choose the Lincoln Drive Bridge over Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad project tile. The digital version of the information will be available to view online until February 5, 2023.
The purpose of the plans display is to introduce the project and solicit public input, questions, or concerns regarding the project. It is also an opportunity for the public to review and comment on the project’s potential effect upon Cultural Resources pursuant to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s 36 CFR Part 800 regulations implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
The project documents can be made available in alternative languages or formats if requested. If you need translation/interpretation services or have special needs or have special concerns that require individual attention, please contact PennDOT Project Manager Dan Stewart, at c-dastewar@pa.gov or 717-775-5109.
Pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, PennDOT does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. If you feel that you have been denied the benefits of, or participation in a PennDOT program or activity, you may contact the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Equal Opportunity, DBE/Title VI Division at 717-787-5891 or 800-468-4201.
For more information on projects occurring or being bid this year, those made possible by or accelerated by the state’s transportation funding plan (Act 89), or those on the department’s Four and Twelve Year Plans, visit www.projects.penndot.gov.
Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.
511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.
Follow regional PennDOT information on Twitter at www.twitter.com/511PAAllentown, and like the department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaDepartmentofTransportation.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Ronald J. Young, Jr., M.P.A., 610-871-4555, ronyoung@pa.gov; Sean A. Brown, 610-871-4556, sebrown@pa.gov.
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