King of Prussia, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that construction has been completed on a $3.7 million project to replace the 121-year-old West Coulter Street bridge superstructure over SEPTA's Chestnut Hill West line in Philadelphia.
PennDOT's contractor replaced the West Coulter Street Bridge superstructure and new concrete material was placed behind the existing stone masonry abutments to increase stability.
In addition, the catenary system used to supply electricity to the railway system, which was previously attached to the bridge, was transferred to new catenary towers constructed on either side of the new superstructure.
Other improvements included building wider sidewalks on the bridge to enhance pedestrian mobility and safety; milling and paving the roadway approaches to the bridge; and replacing the current railing with decorative walls on the inside of the bridge.
The 57-foot-long, 49-foot-wide, single-span, two-lane, steel girder bridge was closed between Archer Street and Morris Street in September 2021 due to structural deterioration discovered during a bridge inspection. Prior to closing, the bridge was posted with a 3-ton weight restriction and carried approximately 5,035 vehicles a day.
Loftus Construction Inc., of Cinnaminson, NJ was the general contractor on the project, which was financed with 100 percent state funds.
Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles 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.
For a complete list of construction projects impacting state-owned highways in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties, visit the District 6 Traffic Bulletin.
Information about infrastructure in District 6, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.pa.gov/D6Results. Find PennDOT's planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.
Subscribe to PennDOT District 6 news and traffic alerts at www.penndot.pa.gov/District6.
Follow PennDOT on Twitter and like the department on Facebook and Instagram.
Contact: Robyn Briggs, robbriggs@pa.gov
# # #