Road Watch/ROAD RANT Col. FOR 5-23
What’s over a half-century old and is crossed over by 40 million vehicles a year?
It’s not a highway and one of four bridges operated by the Delaware River Port Authority in dire need of renovation.
The redecking of the Walt Whitman Bridge at a cost of nearly $140 million – the largest capital improvement project ever undertaken by the Delaware River Port Authority – was approved by the DRPA board last week.
A $128 million construction contract was awarded to the American Bridge Company of Coraopolis. An $11.6 million construction monitoring contract was awarded to the joint venture of Urban Engineers Inc./URS Corp. of Philadelphia.
The redecking project includes the removal of the suspended span, installation of a new lightweight concrete filled jointless grid deck, structure improvements, new parapets and a new steel shell movable barrier.
“Reworking the Walt Whitman Bridge is one of the cornerstones of our five-year $1 billion capital budget,” said DRPA CEO John J. Matheussen.
“This project will result in an entirely new deck over the Delaware River using state of the art technology,” he said.
Preliminary work will begin in August and the entire project should be completed by the end of the summer of 2014, says DRPA Acting Chief Engineer Michael Venuto.
“There will be long-term lane closures for 35 months starting in the spring of 2011,” he said.
Matheussen said the DRPA will be working hard to minimize inconvenience to commuters during the entire project with specific emphasis on the long-term lane closures.
The DRPA is investigating several ways to keep the public informed throughout the entire construction process, he said.
This includes developing a project Web site, notices in E-ZPass bills, handouts to drivers using the bridge and reinstituting a highway alert radio system first used in the mid-90s.
Bridge Facts
The Walt Whitman Bridge is 53 years old, first opening to traffic on May 16, 1957, connecting South Philadelphia to Gloucester City, N.J. In 2009, 40 million vehicles crossed the bridge.
Construction was begun in August 1953 and its initial cost was $86.9 million. Bridge revenue in 2009 was $96.3 million.
The seven-lane span has a travel width curb-to-curb of 79 feet.
The length from abutment to abutment is 11,981 feet. Its navigable channel width is 800 feet and its navigable channel depth is 40 feet.
Its structural steel weight is 57,674 tons. Its foundation consists of caisson or main piers and piles (approach piers). The type of connections are weld and bolt. The roadway surface is asphalt.
Click It or Ticket
Pennsylvania State Police will be conducting its Air, Land and Speed campaign as part of this year’s seat belt enforcement effort starting Monday and through June 13.
The crackdown will feature the state police Aerial Reconnaissance and Enforcement program which uses aircraft to clock motorists’ speed and then radio to troopers on the ground to make the traffic stop.
About 450 municipal police departments will supplement the SPARE operations with traditional traffic enforcement along targeted roadways.
“With the significant amount of traffic that we anticipate for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, this is a perfect time to remind motorists to take an extra few seconds and buckle up,” says PennDOT Secretary Allen Biehler.
According to PennDOT, unrestrained fatalities dropped to a record low of 451 in 2009, down from 567 in 2008. Last year’s fatalities are the lowest since PennDOT began keeping records of that data in 1985.
Despite this decrease, nighttime seat belt use continues to be a major area of concern. More than half of all unbelted fatalities occurred between 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. – including 139 between 10 p.m. and 2:59 a.m.
Therefore, police will be dedicating the final week of the campaign to nighttime enforcement.
National Bike Month
May is National Bike Month and the League of American Bicyclists is urging people to get out and ride with your family, co-workers and friends. Bike to Work Day was celebrated Friday outside the Media Courthouse.
Bicyclist fatalities in the state increased in 2009, with 16 cyclists losing their lives, compared to eight killed in 2008. Last year’s fatalities included four children under the age of 18.
More than 550 riders under 18 were injured in bicycle crashes in 2009.
As a result, PennDOT is reminding children and adults to exercise safety while riding.
“Riding a bike is great exercise, but any time you ride along a road, even a neighborhood street, you need to keep safety in mind,” said PennDOT Secretary Allen Biehler.
Bicyclists must obey all traffic signs and signals, and should signal their intentions to motorists if turning or going straight. The safest place to ride is along the right side of the road with traffic, not against it. Also, stay about a car door width away from parked vehicles.
They should make sure bikes are equipped with reflectors, a white headlight, bell or horn. At dusk or nightfall, riders should also wear brightly colored clothing.
Road Rant (See the Video)
A few weeks ago, I noticed work crews painting “SLOW” in giant white letters and a curve arrow on the surface of Glendale Road between Fairview Avenue and Genthert Field – a hazardous curve in Haverford.
There should be more “SLOW” warnings painted on area roads before similar bad curves and bends. The cost of paint can’t be too prohibitive.
The speed limit is 25 mph along Glendale Road, which is a continuation of Eagle Road that begins at Springfield Road, and is a major connection to Burmont Road and West Chester Pike (Route 3).
Few people adhere to the limit and even tailgate you if you’re going within 10 mph of the speed limit.
There is a 20 mph speed limit/right-hand curve arrow sign posted before Fairview Avenue and in either direction few motorists could be seen slowing down before the sharp curve.
There are also yellow chevron signs posted to indicate a curve in the road, but apparently many motorists don’t know what they mean or just don’t observe them.
Many motorists just don’t get it: that SLOW means reduce your speed and YIELD means to give right of way to other traffic, like those speeding drivers exiting the Blue Route on to West Chester Pike in Marple.
Traffic Delays
Ridley Township – Fairview Road closed, Aqua utility installation between Sherman Avenue and Emlen Street 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 24-hour detour through July 9.
Newtown – West Chester Pike (Route 3), Aqua installation with lane restrictions at St. Albans Avenue 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays through May 27.
Also, Newtown Street Road between Chapel Road and Winding Way, Aqua work 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays through May 27.
Radnor – Goshen Road, road work costing $1.3 million, closed/detoured 24 hours daily between Darby-Paoli and Hunt roads for roadway reconstruction and realignment to remove a sharp curve through Aug. 21. Work began March 1. Goshen Road will be detoured over Darby-Paoli Road, Bryn Mawr Avenue, Route 3, Route 252 and Goshen Road.
Also, Radnor-Chester Road, Aqua utility installation, closed/detoured between Lancaster Avenue and Conestoga Road 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays through June 29.
Concord – Baltimore Pike, bridge replacement with lane restrictions on bridge over Chester Creek 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays through June 2011. Work began in September 2009.
Baltimore Pike (U.S. Route 1) – Middletown and Chester Heights, bridge replacement with lane restrictions between Darlington and Station roads, 24-hour restrictions through June 2011. Work began Oct. 12.
Road Watch/Road Rant appears Sundays. Only messages and mail with phone numbers will be considered. E-mail: jroman@delcotimes.com.