Borough staff told the Infrastructure Committee on March 25 that the Norworth Avenue bridge replacement project will be advertised for bids in early April and that bids will be due in early May, with a contract award and notice-to-proceed expected in mid- to late summer.

The timeline and procurement: "All bids will be due in early May, and typically the contract will be awarded to the lowest qualified bid," a borough staff member said. Staff estimated a notice-to-proceed in July or early August, with early construction activities such as site clearing, utility relocation and staging likely to start later in the summer; the bridge removal and replacement proper would follow preparatory work.

Artwork and cultural review: Staff said PennDOT's cultural-resources professional asked questions about proposed depictions of indigenous housing structures in the bridge artwork because federal funding is involved. "We don't anticipate any sort of conversation around that delaying the advertisement, but there was a question about it, and we're looking into any legalities surrounding that representation," the staff member said. The committee noted that federal and state agencies will constrain certain design changes once the contract is awarded.

Public outreach and coordination: Staff said they will coordinate directly with businesses likely to be affected by staging and access constraints and will consider inviting the selected contractor to give a public presentation about construction sequencing after the contract is awarded but before notice to proceed. Staff also said most heavy equipment will be staged in Amtrak's right-of-way to reduce impacts on adjacent streets.

Ending: The committee agreed staff should schedule a contractor presentation after the bid award and continue communications with directly affected businesses; no formal vote was taken on the presentation timing.