PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Shuttle buses return to part of SEPTA's M Line next month, as crews resume their work on the aging Bridgeport Viaduct.
The 3,500-foot-long Bridgeport Viaduct carries the M Line — formerly the Norristown High Speed Line — over the Schuylkill River. SEPTA senior project manager Kyle Stanley said the bridge was built in 1911 and remains safe, but it's been due for painting and other repairs.
“Usually bridges have a hundred-year lifespan when they're designed so it is time to basically refresh it,” said Stanley.
The work started in March. Phase two of the $55 million rehab begins on Aug. 1, when SEPTA will run shuttle buses on the M between the Norristown Transit Center and Bridgeport. During the last week of August, M Line shuttles will run between Norristown and Gulph Mills. The buses are scheduled to run until December.
Because the bridge also crosses above the tracks for the Manayunk/Norristown Regional Rail Line, SEPTA plans shuttles along that line between the Transit Center and Elm Street from Aug. 15-23.
“In order to do the blast cleaning and painting of the viaduct, we'll have to take out catenary power and actually get in the area above the tracks to do that work,” said Stanley.
The busing will affect more than 1,000 people who ride the M over the bridge each weekday. The entire construction project is expected to wrap up by February.
