Bridge on Route 217 in Derry opens to traffic
Motorists in Derry on Wednesday began driving across the new bridge carrying Route 217 over the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks. Work on the $9.9 million PennDOT project isn't quite complete, however.
Motorists can expect single-lane restrictions ahead as crews finish paving the four-span structure, project manager Chris Bandi said. Additional work is needed to complete the bridge's concrete sidewalks and three of four handicapped-accessible curb ramps must be installed at the intersection with Second Avenue.
Weather permitting, that work should be completed by the end of the month, Bandi said.
Plum Contracting will demolish the old, 10-span bridge — the project's final step — possibly by the end of December, Bandi said.
Critical in planning the demolition, he said, will be timing removal of the bridge section crossing above Norfolk Southern's rail lines with increased holiday season traffic flow.
“It will be a challenge,” Bandi said.
Crews will grade the surrounding area once the old bridge is removed, he said.
PennDOT plans to recycle concrete from the old bridge. The material will be crushed to the size of state-certified stone and used for agency maintenance needs.
“This is something different that we specified,” Bandi said. “It's not the norm.”
Typically, contractors control demolition debris and decide how to profitably salvage it.
The new bridge required fewer spans than the previous one because some of the area bordering the rail corridor that Route 217 crosses has been built up with fill material, Bandi explained.
As a result, crews reconstructed Derry's West Third Street to create a T-intersection with Route 217 while East Third Street now ends in a cul-de-sac.
Room has been left for a potential street beneath the bridge that could provide access from North Chestnut Street to the former Porcelain Park industrial site, should it attract new development, Bandi said.
Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6622 or jhimler@tribweb.com.
