POTTSTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A long-overdue construction project is underway in Montgomery County: The replacement of the Keim Street Bridge, which has been closed for 15 years.
Keim Street Bridge crosses the Schuylkill River and connects Pottstown to North Coventry. It carried just shy of 10,000 cars a day before it was determined to be structurally deficient and closed in 2010. The bridge closure stretched what should have been 1,000 feet to a detour just under three miles, connecting to Routes 422 and 724.
At a ceremony to recognize the project, Pottstown State Rep. Joe Ciresi said it was great the bridge is being rebuilt, but felt it should have been sooner.
“There was no reason this bridge had to be closed for this long, none whatsoever. We've seen bridges go down and replaced in three years,” he said. “Fifteen years is unacceptable and won't be accepted any longer.”
Montgomery County Commissioner Tom DiBello, who lives in nearby Limerick Township, said the bridge was a major artery and key to revitalization efforts in Pottstown.
“This is a major connection point between Montgomery County and Chester County,” he said. “People have been traveling up and down 724, up and down 422, even Main Street of Pottstown, trying to get around because they didn't have access to this bridge.”
Its reconstruction was muddled in red tape as it connected two counties, was eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and is a habitat for endangered animals. Mitigation and planning efforts to protect the endangered eastern red bellied turtle started earlier this year.
The new bridge is expected to open in 2028. Construction will cost $20 million, covered by federal funds. It will be widened to two travel lanes, each 11 feet wide, with 4-foot shoulders and a 6-foot protected sidewalk.