Politics & Government

PennDOT to Discuss Future of Walnut Lane Bridge

Officials will host a meeting a Kendrick Recreation Center April 5.

State officials will give residents a chance to weigh in on the Walnut Lane Bridge.

In a meeting organized by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, neighbors are invited to the April 5 to learn about the rehabilitation project planned for the Wissahickon Creek bridge.

"The goal of this project is to repair the bridge to bring it out of its structurally deteriorated state while staying sensitive to the features and characteristics which make this historic bridge unique," PennDOT said in a news release.

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A main connector between Roxborough and Mt. Airy-Germantown, the reinforced concrete arch bridge was built in 1907. It's 565 feet long, 42 feet wide and carries an average of 17,000 vehicles a day.

Over the past two years, underneath it—Forbidden Drive—due to falling non-structural fragments. secured federal funds for an update, with an estimated price tag of $7.1 million—the state will kick in $750,000, as well.

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The April 5 meeting, which runs from 5 to 7:30 p.m., seeks to gain community input prior to undertaking the project. Construction is scheduled for 2013.

"In a significant change reflecting lessons learned from the , PennDOT has reached out to West Mt. Airy Neighbors to get our input during this preliminary engineering phase. They specifically want to gain a better understanding of the surrounding communities’ needs," PennDOT said.

The some Mt. Airy residents, who felt promises involving traffic patterns weren't kept. PennDOT said it hopes to avoid similar problems with this project.

A design team will attend the meeting to answer questions, and collect comments and concerns. 

Kendrick Recreation Center is located at 5822 Ridge Ave.


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