PennDOT plans to resurface century-old bridge ahead of Rt. 926 bridge replacement
The Lenape Bridge will close Wednesday for resurfacing and is expected to be reopened Friday afternoon.
POCOPSON – The bridge over the Brandywine Creek is closing April 1. And no, that’s not an April Fools joke.
The good news for local residents, though, is that in this case the closure will last just three days and will result in the resurfacing of the Lenape Bridge on Route 52, starting Wednesday. Area residents demanded that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation address the badly pitted and pot-hole bridge surface prior to the 18-month closure of the Rt. 926 bridge, just 3/4 of a mile south of the Lenape Bridge.
During this week’s closure, northbound traffic on Route 52 will be detoured down Pocopson Road, onto Rt. 926 and then up Creek Road to return to Route 52 just north of the bridge (except for vehicles heavier than 26 tons, which will be required to detour south to U.S. 1 because of weight restrictions on the Rt. 926 bridge). With Unionville-Chadds Ford Schools on spring break, the construction plan was thought to be the least disruptive time to close the 103 year old bridge.
The area has enjoyed a few months of normal traffic patterns, after a controversial roundabout project near Chester County Prison closed Route 52 for most of 2014, leading to traffic detouring through residential neighborhoods. Similar disruptions are expected to take place during the 926 bridge replacement, an 18-month project expected to begin in August.
The 341-foot Lenape Bridge has been in service since 1912 — although it saw a major refurbishment in 1980.
