East Pikeland Bridge Reopens Under Budget, Ahead of Schedule

A local bridge opened up five weeks ahead of schedule this month.

According to a press release from the Chester County Commissioners Office, Hallman’s Bridge, which spans the Pickering Creek in East Pikeland Towship, was open ahead of schedule and under budget. Pickering Road between Merlin Road and Route 113 was closed since February for construction. According to the press release:

The Chester County owned single-span bridge was built in 1931 and closed to traffic in September 2007 due to deterioration of the bridge structure. Prior to the bridge closure, the bridge was weight restricted at three tons and had impact damage to one of its two main girders.

Hallman’s Bridge is located in an environmentally sensitive area over a trout-stocked waterway and adjacent to wetlands, which proved to be home for an endangered species, the bog turtle.  

Construction work began in February 2011, and the bridge was re-opened to traffic this month, five weeks ahead of schedule. The project also came in under the expected cost of $1.1 million. As such, the county and PennDOT were able to assist East Pikeland Township, through an inter-municipal agreement, to complete pavement repairs to Pickering Road. The agreement resulted in significant savings to the township by using funds already programmed for the bridge project.   

Jastrzebski Engineers Inc. of Chalfont designed the bridge replacement and PennDOT provided 80 percent funding for both design and construction of the new bridge. Chester County engineering firm McCormick Taylor, Inc. was selected to provide construction management and inspection services, and Lobar Site Development Inc. was the contractor.