Committee backs ordinance accepting PennDOT-built replacement and later ownership of Byberry Road bridge

Philadelphia City Council’s Committee on Public Property and Public Works voted to report an ordinance authorizing the City to accept ownership of a replacement Byberry Road bridge to be constructed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and placed on the city plan under terms agreed with PennDOT.

Richard Montanez, deputy commissioner of transportation for the Department of Streets, said the existing Byberry Road bridge crosses CSX Railroad tracks and is in “serious condition” and that the commonwealth intends to construct a replacement at its sole cost. Upon completion of the replacement bridge, Montanez said PennDOT will transfer ownership to the city and the city will be responsible for maintenance of the bridge and its approaches.

Montanez and committee members discussed the bridge’s operational limitations. Montanez said the current structure is a temporary military Bailey bridge purchased in 1972 and is limited to a 3-ton load; he said school buses currently cross the bridge and that presents an unsafe condition. He also said PennDOT revised the design to raise the new bridge to accommodate CSX’s plan for double-stacked freight and that the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission ordered the height change.

Committee members asked about citywide bridge inspection planning. Montanez said a federal grant is funding a study of bridges, and PennDOT consultants are assisting the city with rapid inspections to develop a replacement schedule.

The committee voted to report the ordinance favorably and requested suspension of the rules to permit first reading at the next City Council session. The city will assume maintenance responsibility for the replacement bridge after PennDOT completes construction and transfers ownership.