PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Randall Avenue Bridge in Bristol Township, Bucks County, is getting $2 million in state funding for repair and renovation. A complete replacement of the century-old bridge will come later.
The bridge, built in 1919, was shut down for safety concerns in February of 2023. Pieces of the underside had been falling off onto Amtrak's heavily traveled Northeast Corridor tracks below.
The funding is part of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development Multimodal Transportation Fund. Two Lower Bucks County lawmakers, state Rep. Tina Davis and state Sen. Steve Santarsiero, secured the state funding to help the township do the rehab work.
“It's important because the neighborhood on the other side of the train tracks has limited access to the outside world,” Santarsiero said, “so we need to make sure that this bridge is opened soon so that folks can get in and out.”
Santarsiero says this an important first step, while state and federal officials support the township's long-term goal of rebuilding and replacing the bridge.
"Ultimately, the bridge will likely have to be replaced,” the senator said, “but in the meantime, what we would like to do to open it again is to provide, do the work necessary to get it to a point where it will be deemed safe for vehicles to go over it.”
The township is seeking an additional $25 million in funding to get a new bridge.