Two Deficient Upper Mac Bridges Slated For Repairs

Two structurally deficient Upper Macungie Township bridges are slated for much-needed repairs later this year, according to PennDOT. That should be welcome news to local drivers in the wake of a report illustrating that Pennsylvania owns the worst bridge system in the country.

Transportation For America's recent report says more than 25 percent of Pennsylvania bridges are "structurally deficient," meaning they require significant maintenance, repair or replacement.

The report scored the Upper Macungie Township's 54 state-owned and four locally-owned bridged with numerical scores from  high of 100 at to a low of zero. Three state-owned bridges and two locally-owned bridges in Upper Macungie Township were given scores lower than 50 by TFA.

Two of those bridges -- the Schantz Road bridge spanning Breinig Run built in 1928 and a 1940 bridge on W. Tilghman Street that runs above Chapmans Road -- are on PennDOT's repair list this year. The pair of spans scored a 5.3 and 18, respectively.

PennDOT spokesman Sean Brown said a majority of this year's work in its District 5, which includes the bulk of Lehigh County, will consist of repairing structurally deficient bridges.

Brown said the Schantz Road bridge repair is part of a road realignment project that will span the major township artery from Adams Road to Twin Pond Road. Brown said the bidding process for the work will be finalized in early to mid-June.

Work to repair the W. Tilghman Street bridge, east of Blue Barn Road, will not commence until the fall. That stretch of the busy road will be closed for the duration of the project. The bidding process in underway for that project.

"It will be an inconvenience," Brown said. "We can't do the work without closing the road. It will cause short-term pain, but the gain will be a beautiful new bridge."

A third state-owned bridge on Schantz Road, spanning Schaffer Run with a score of 35.8, is not on PennDOT's repair list, Brown said. The report states the bridge dates back to 1918.

Two locally-owned bridges in the northern end of the township, both off Haasadahl Road spanning Hassen Creek, posses the other two lowest scores.

A small two-way bridge off the intersection of Hassadahl and Township Line roads, owned by Upper Macungie Township, weighed in with a 39.9 score.

Public Works Director Scott Faust said the bridge is inspected annually by a independent contractor hired by PennDOT and receives annual maintenance. 

A one-lane bridge off the intersection of Haasadahl Road and Hickory Lane was scored at 17.4. That bridge is owned by Lehigh County.

A low score does not mean the bridge is unsafe, according to the TFA. Its website includes a map that allows people to view bridges in their community, county and state.

Oklahoma and Iowa follow Pennsylvania as the second and third worst; Nevada, Florida, Texas have the lowest percentage of deficient bridges.

You can read the full report here.