POTTSTOWN — Fifteen years down, three more to go.
Fifteen years after the Keim Street bridge was closed due to structural deficiencies, ground was broken Monday on its replacement. It will take three years to build the new bridge, officials at the event said.
Built in 1935 over the Schuylkill River, the Keim Street bridge, known to long-timers as Madison bridge, connects the Industrial Highway in Pottstown with Route 724 in North Coventry Township in Chester County.
The bridge closed in 2010 due to structural deficiencies. At the time of its closure, approximately 9,400 vehicles were using the Keim Street Bridge on a daily basis.
Present for the ceremony, and at the microphone, were Montgomery County Commissioners Neil Makhija, Jamila Winder, and Tom DiBello, along with state Reps. Joe Ciresi, D-146th Dist., Paul Friel, D-26th dist. and Pottstown Borough Council President Dan Weand.
Since 2010, the construction of a new bridge “has been top of mind for all the residents of this region,” Makhika said.
“We are connecting communities, we are building bridges; literally,” said Winder.
“The fact that we are here today is a testament to the collaboration required” to complete a project that connects two counties,” Makhija said.
The $20 million project is fully funded by the federal government, part of the bipartisan infrastructure law signed by President Biden. Part of the reason work got started in November to prepare the site early is that officials want to get the project underway in case the funding is cut by the new administration in Washington.
“We all hope the funding is secure until the project is complete,” Makhija said.
Part of the reason for the delay, Winder said, were the steps taken to ensure the new bridge construction does not disturb the habitat of endangered red belly turtles, some of which were sunning themselves Monday on a nearby log.
DiBello said when he came into office, getting the Keim Street bridge project moving was one of his top priorities. “We knew we had to get this thing going,” said DiBello, adding, “we may be able to bring this in a lot sooner than 2028.”
Even a faster completion date does not change the fact that it took 15 years, said Ciresi.
“I’ll say what no one else will. This is a major thoroughfare. Fifteen years is too long,” Ciresi said. ‘There is no reason this had to take so long. I’ve seen bridges replaced in three years, and I have been screaming about this for seven years.”
“Think about it,” said Ciresi, “a kid born 15 years ago will be 18 before he finally gets his license and crosses this bridge.”
A little more than 18 years ago, Friel was a student at the former St. Pius X High School, located on Keim Street in Lower Pottsgrove. “I went over this bridge many times, including when I learned to drive and it was challenging because the bridge was so narrow.”
The new bridge will not be so narrow and will include six-foot sidewalks and 11-foot driving lanes. The project was awarded to H & K, based in Skippack.
“This is a worthwhile investment,” Friel said, “because it is an investment that helps people.”
Weand noted that he is a founding member of the Pottstown Metropolitan Regional Planning Committee, which includes the borough and seven surrounding townships. The entity, he said, was founded to promote communication, cooperation and sharing.
“This project right here is a physical example of working together,” Weand said.
“This is a big win for the Pottstown community,” Makhija said. “One of many.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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