PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Eighteen deteriorating bridges in Philadelphia will get some much-needed attention thanks to $1.56 million in federal infrastructure grant money.
The grant, which is a part of President Joe Biden’s competitive, bipartisan Bridge Investment Program, will help the city plan for improvements to the bridges, which are located over electrified rail lines.
Philadelphia Deputy Managing Director Mike Carroll said the bridges will undergo a feasibility study for the Overhead Bridge Rehabilitation Program to determine what needs to be fixed.
“Collectively, these projects will remove barriers to neighborhood and regional access. They will improve safety and reliability for hundreds of thousands of travelers by road and rail every day,” he said.
Acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack said the federal government is awarding $18.4 million in grants for projects in 23 states in all.
“Here in Philadelphia, these are complicated bridges because they go over train tracks and underneath electric wires,” she said. “So this [$1.56] million grant will pay for a feasibility study so that the city can work with SEPTA and Amtrak and figure out the right way to fix these 18 bridges, while also making sure that there’s minimal disruption to train service.
“That’s why we need the study, to figure out this jigsaw puzzle.”
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The complicated nature of fixing bridges that are suspended over electrified train wires means those projects often get put off for later.
“Like Margie Street, many of these bridges have fallen into poor condition while they’ve sat just idly on our to-do list for decades,” Carroll added.
Once the two-year feasibility study is complete, the city is invited to apply for additional money that has been set aside for the actual construction of these bridges.
Earlier this week, Pennsylvania was also granted $2.6 billion in funding for roads, bridges, and tunnels.
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