Norman Wood Bridge Study

No. Currently, future phases of the project, including design and construction, are not fully funded. Upon County Metropolitan Planning Organizations’ acceptance and approval, funding allocation efforts will commence. 

No, the project cannot move forward if funding allocations are not secured.  

The Norman Wood Bridge, built in 1968, is being studied to identify long-term solutions that address the bridge’s deteriorating condition to continue to provide safe and reliable access across the Susquehanna River for the surrounding community. 

No. While PennDOT is advancing a rehabilitation program to address the most immediate structural needs of the bridge, continued maintenance alone is not a viable long-term solution. Ongoing deterioration of the structure would require increasingly frequent repairs and associated traffic disruptions over time. A long-term solution is required to address the bridge’s future transportation and structural needs along with maintaining connectivity for the surrounding communities.   

No. Closing the bridge is not a viable long-term solution because it would eliminate an important transportation connection for residents, businesses, and emergency services in the surrounding communities. 

The planning study evaluated a range of alternatives, including rehabilitation of the existing bridge, replacement of the bridge superstructure, full replacement of the bridge on or near the existing alignment, and full replacement on a new alignment. Standard and accelerated construction methods were analyzed for all options.  Each alternative was also evaluated to determine its ability to address the bridge’s long-term transportation and structural needs along with minimizing impacts on community connectivity.  

The methods and options for traffic control and the length of construction durations vary by alternative and range from maintaining traffic on the existing bridge with temporary lane closures to a full bridge closure requiring a detour for the duration of construction. After the study is accepted and approved, the project team will refine its analysis and evaluate traffic control strategies and construction approaches to meet the project's needs while minimizing impacts to the traveling public and surrounding communities. Specific details on traffic control and construction duration for each alternative can be found in the study.

Maintaining access for emergency services is an important consideration in the evaluation of all alternatives. Depending on the selected alternative, temporary traffic control, detours, and other traffic management measures have the potential to affect emergency response routes. Measures such as temporary traffic signal pre-emption may be considered to help reduce impacts during single-lane traffic operations. Among the alternatives evaluated, a full bridge replacement on a new alignment would have the least impact on emergency services because the existing bridge could remain in service during most of the construction period. Coordination with emergency service providers will continue and be refined after the study is accepted and approved.  

School transportation is not anticipated to be significantly affected by any of the alternatives under consideration. The Susquehanna River generally serves as the boundary between local school districts, and students are not routinely transported across the Norman Wood Bridge to attend school. While accommodation for regular school transportation is not expected to be necessary, potential impacts to after-school activities and special events would be considered as part of future traffic management analysis and planning.

During the study phase, the project team worked with local businesses to better understand their transportation needs and reliance on the bridge. Potential impacts to business access are an important consideration in the evaluation of alternatives, and efforts will continue throughout project development to minimize disruptions and be refined after the study is accepted and approved.  

During the study phase, the project team worked with local businesses to better understand their transportation needs and reliance on the bridge. Potential impacts to business access are an important consideration in the evaluation of alternatives, and efforts will continue throughout project development to minimize disruptions and be refined after the study is accepted and approved.  

The project team has engaged with Old Order communities to better understand the use of the bridge by horse-drawn carriages, and those needs will continue to be an important factor in the design of the selected alternative.  Potential accommodations evaluated as part of the study include adjustments to temporary traffic control operations, such as longer signal clearance intervals to better accommodate horse-drawn carriages. Further coordination with the Old Order communities to determine how horse-drawn carriage traffic impacts can be minimized will occur and be refined after the study is accepted and approved.  

The existing bridge was not designed to safely accommodate pedestrian or bicycle traffic, and its narrow shoulders limit opportunities for these modes of travel.  As a result, accommodation for recreational trail users, bicyclists, and pedestrians has not been incorporated into the alternatives currently under consideration. The project team will continue to coordinate with stakeholders, including the Lancaster Hiking Club, and be refined after the study is accepted and approved.  

No. Dedicated lanes for horse-drawn carriages, buggies, pedestrians or bicyclists have not been incorporated into the alternatives being evaluated. However, wider shoulders are being considered to improve operational flexibility and to accommodate maintenance and emergency needs.

No. An overlook for pedestrians is not currently included in the alternatives being evaluated.    

The existing bridge does not include any highway lighting and lighting needs were not evaluated as part of this planning study. Once a preferred alternative is selected, additional analysis will be completed to determine the need for lighting.