Is Edgely bridge falling down in Bristol Township ? Here's what we know

JD Mullane, Bucks County Courier Times
·3 min read

A century-old Bristol Township bridge that crosses the busiest rail lines in the nation is closed indefinitely after chunks of its concrete superstructure cracked and dropped onto passing trains.

The Randall Avenue bridge, known as the Edgely bridge, was shuttered Feb. 23 and will not reopen to traffic until it’s either deemed safe for travel or, worst case, closed until it's demolished and replaced.

“We always knew it probably needed to be replaced, due to its age and condition,” said township manager Randee Elton.

The Edgely bridge in Bristol Township, also called the Randall Avenue bridge, is closed to traffic after a second train was struck by concrete that came loose from the underside.
The Edgely bridge in Bristol Township, also called the Randall Avenue bridge, is closed to traffic after a second train was struck by concrete that came loose from the underside.

The bridge carries traffic from U.S. Route 13 to North Radcliffe Street in Edgely. It was closed suddenly last month after rail workers reported for the second time that trains were struck by concrete from the bridge.

A 2002 traffic study, the last available, showed an average of 400 vehicles cross the bridge daily. While that isn’t a lot of traffic, truckers’ whose rigs and freight exceed the three and half ton weight limit illegally cross the bridge, stressing its steel beams and weakening concrete.

An unloaded Ford F-350 Super Duty Crew Cab pickup truck, for example, weighs about 3.3 tons and could easily overshoot that capacity if fully loaded.

“There’s a lot of stress, cracking and crumbling,” Elton said.

Over the years, the Bristol Township police have cited truckers for using the bridge.

“We just don’t have the manpower to have someone sit there all day and write citations,” she said.

Cameras are an unlikely solution, since there is no way to determine if a loaded pickup truck or other vehicle exceeds the posted weight limit.

Chunks of concrete from the underside of the Edgely bridge lay alongside southbound tracks in Bristol Township. The bridge was closed after a second train was struck by falling debris, said township Manager Randee Elton.
Chunks of concrete from the underside of the Edgely bridge lay alongside southbound tracks in Bristol Township. The bridge was closed after a second train was struck by falling debris, said township Manager Randee Elton.

Amtrak and the township are working together to mitigate the danger to rail traffic, which includes both freight and passenger lines. A permit has been filed to temporarily halt rail traffic so inspectors can see how much bridge damage remains.

A $1 million grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will pay for shoring up crumbling bridge side beams and abutments, which hold the bridge in place, and also to determine if the span is safe for motorists. Amtrak granted permission to the township to use its right-of way to inspect the bridge's underside, from where the concrete has fallen.

“It’s to get a good look at what we’re dealing with,” Elton said.

Amtrak will knock loose weakened concrete, she said.

The bridge was built in 1919, during the Woodrow Wilson Administration, and is the only township-owned bridge that crosses rail lines in Pennsylvania.  It crosses the Northeast Corridor, the busiest rail lines in North America, stretching from Boston to Washington, D.C. and carrying an average of 2,200 freight, Amtrak and local commuter trains on it each day.

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Concrete-encased iron beam and reinforcing bars are laid bare from deteriorating conditions beneath the Edgely bridge in Bristol Township. The bridge was built in 1919 and carries traffic over the busiest rail lines in the nation, the Northeast Corridor.
Concrete-encased iron beam and reinforcing bars are laid bare from deteriorating conditions beneath the Edgely bridge in Bristol Township. The bridge was built in 1919 and carries traffic over the busiest rail lines in the nation, the Northeast Corridor.

It’s unclear precisely how much it will cost to demolish and rebuild the bridge, but the township has filed a grant request with the U.S. Dept. of Transportation for $25 million under the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (“RAISE”) fund.

Hopefully, $25 million will do it, Elton said.

It’s not clear how long it will take the DOT to make a decision on the grant.

JD Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or jmullane@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Edgely bridge in Bristol Township closed indefinitely, must be replaced