Philadelphia, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that preliminary construction activities will begin on Tuesday, May 26, on an $18.4 million project to replace the bridge that carries Byberry Road over CSX Railroad in Philadelphia.
The existing bridge is a two-span prefabricated thru-truss structure built in 1996 as a temporary replacement for the severely deteriorated steel thru-girder bridge formerly at this crossing. The bridge is 140-foot-long, 24-foot-wide and carries two lanes of traffic. The structure has been in service for 21 years and is in serious overall condition, with advanced deterioration.
The current bridge is owned and maintained by PennDOT, as mandated by a Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) order. Byberry Road is owned and maintained by the City of Philadelphia. PennDOT constructed the bridge over the CSX Railroad on an emergency basis in 1996. Once the replacement bridge is built, ownership will be transferred to the City of Philadelphia.
Under this project, PennDOT’s contractor will replace the existing bridge with a new single-span composite steel structure. The new bridge will have a nine-inch-thick reinforced concrete slab supported by five steel girders. The new structure will be 89-feet-long and provide one 11-foot lane in each direction, a 10-foot right-turn lane, 6-foot sidewalks, and concrete wall barriers along each side.
The bridge's height will be built to ensure a vertical clearance of 23 feet to meet railroad requirements. The north abutment will be built with space for a secondary track, providing 20 feet of lateral clearance. To avoid affecting the MAST Charter School parking garage and to minimize land acquisitions, retaining walls will be constructed on the west side of the roadway.
The project also includes improvements to Byberry Road. Repaving will take place along 600 feet on the south approach and 800 feet on the north approach. Sidewalks will be constructed on the north approach, and enhancements will be made at the intersection with the driveways for MAST Charter School and the Post Office. These enhancements will include installing new traffic signals and lane markings.
Construction on this bridge replacement project will be performed in three stages to keep two lanes of traffic open during peak travel times. Periodic detours and lane closures will be in place as needed by the contractor.
Beginning on Tuesday, May 26, through Friday, June 5, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, a weekday lane closure with flagging will be in place on Byberry Road between Evans Street and Worthington Road for initial construction activities, including tree clearing and grubbing.
Drivers are advised to allow extra time when traveling through the work area because backups and delays may occur. All scheduled activities are weather dependent.
Construction activities through 2026 and 2027 will primarily focus on several utility relocations within the project limits.
J.D. Eckman, Inc. of Atglen, Pa., is the general contractor on this project, which is financed with 100 percent federal funds. The entire project is scheduled to be completed in 2030.
To learn more, visit the Byberry Road over CSX Bridge Replacement Project webpage.
Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,200 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.
Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.pa.gov/DOTprojects. Subscribe to PennDOT news and find transportation results in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District6.
Find PennDOT news on X, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
MEDIA CONTACT: Brad Rudolph, bradrudolph@pa.gov
# # #