Pottstown to cover about $400,000 share of urgent Norfolk Southern bridge repairs after $1 million contract awarded
November 06, 2025 | Pottstown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
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The Pottstown Committee of the Whole heard on Nov. 5 that the Evans and Franklin Street bridges over Norfolk Southern require Priority 1 repairs and that Norfolk Southern has awarded a contract valued at $1,000,000. Borough Manager Mr. Keller told council staff had worked with Norfolk Southern and Montgomery County to reduce the project's scope and cost and that repairs could start as early as December.
Manager Mr. Keller said the revised design preserves pedestrian circulation by narrowing vehicle lanes and routing pedestrians via existing ADA ramps onto roadway shoulders separated by curb-mounted delineators rather than removing and replacing concrete sidewalks. He said the redesign reduced the cost by roughly one-third from the initial $1.5 million estimate and that the borough's share under a prior PUC finding is 40% (approximately $400,000).
Keller said staff recommends proceeding and using funds already reserved in the borough's capital savings plan to cover the roughly $400,000 borough share. He noted that funds set aside for a fully funded Washington Street bridge replacement (now supported by state and federal TIP dollars) can be reallocated to help cover the cost.
Unless there was an objection, Keller said staff would work with legal to review the PUC filing and proceed with the described conditions.
The manager said staff will continue to seek additional savings with the traffic engineer and Norfolk Southern, but recommended moving forward so repairs can begin as needed.
Proposed next steps described in the meeting included final legal review, proceeding under the awarded contract, and returning to council with any adjustments identified during final engineering review.
Manager Mr. Keller said the revised design preserves pedestrian circulation by narrowing vehicle lanes and routing pedestrians via existing ADA ramps onto roadway shoulders separated by curb-mounted delineators rather than removing and replacing concrete sidewalks. He said the redesign reduced the cost by roughly one-third from the initial $1.5 million estimate and that the borough's share under a prior PUC finding is 40% (approximately $400,000).
Keller said staff recommends proceeding and using funds already reserved in the borough's capital savings plan to cover the roughly $400,000 borough share. He noted that funds set aside for a fully funded Washington Street bridge replacement (now supported by state and federal TIP dollars) can be reallocated to help cover the cost.
Unless there was an objection, Keller said staff would work with legal to review the PUC filing and proceed with the described conditions.
The manager said staff will continue to seek additional savings with the traffic engineer and Norfolk Southern, but recommended moving forward so repairs can begin as needed.
Proposed next steps described in the meeting included final legal review, proceeding under the awarded contract, and returning to council with any adjustments identified during final engineering review.
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