Community Corner
No Clear Answers for Future of Rapps Dam Bridge
On April 29, a tractor trailer driven by a man with only four days on the job slammed into the historic bridge, badly damaging it.
The Rapps Dam Bridge, badly damaged by a tractor trailer in April, remains closed. How long is still an answered question.
The bridge is owned and maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, not East Pikeland Township, so the matter is no longer simply a local one.
PennDOT is working with consultants to determine how best to proceed, East Pikeland Township officials said. There is no timeline for repairs.
On April 29, a tractor trailer driven by a man with only four days on the job slammed into the historic bridge, badly damaging it.
The bridge, which spans French Creek, was built in 1866, and before being damaged by the tractor trailer had recently undergone a $1.5 million restoration.
The driver of the tractor trailer, Antoine Branham, will be charged with a felony count of criminal mischief; causing or risking a catastrophe; and various traffic violations, East Pikeland Township Police said.
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