Three Area Bridges Deemed 'Structurally Deficient' in Marple Newtown

Although Pennsylvania has the third largest number of bridges in the country, the state leads the way in having the most number of bridges, nearly 6,000 out of 25,000 state-owned bridges, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transporation (PennDOT), that are deemed "structurally deficient," so it comes to no surprise that a few "structurally deficient" bridges were found in both and townships.

The report, which was put out by Transportation For America (a lobbying group), features a map with information from a federal database regarding failing bridges.

Some motorists and commuters may find this news a little alarming, but it really shouldn't be according to PennDOT, which emphasized that "although deterioration is present, a structurally deficient bridge is safe."

According to PennDOT, the state conducts about 19,000 bridge safety inspections each year, and is responsible for the biennial safety inspection of about 25,000 state-owned highway bridges in total. PennDOT also oversees the inspection by municipalities and other agencies of about 7,000 locally owned bridges once every two years.

Out of the Marple and Newtown bridges classified as being "structurally deficient," only the 36-foot bridge that crosses Crum Creek Road and Trout Run in Marple is under local control. The Crum Creek/Trout Run bridge was built in 1970, and spans Crum Creek just about an eighth of a mile north of Route 1.

The bridge has a structural sufficiency rating of 68.8 on a scale of 100, with 100 points considered entirely sufficient and 0 considered entirely deficient. A bridge's sufficiency rating is a calculated score indicating its "ability to meet the traffic demands and safety needs for the route it carries," according to PennDOT. On average, about 750 vehicles cross this bridge daily.

In addition to the Crum Creek/Trout Run bridge, the state-owned bridge that crosses Crum Creek at the Geist Reservoir off of Providence Road in Marple was also deemed as structurally deficient. Located just two miles north of Rose Tree, this bridge spans across the reservoir by 47-feet in length.

The bridge is held up with concrete and T-beams and was built in 1930. The sufficiency rating is 51.6 while the bridge received an overall condition rating of 4 for the deck (top surface of bridge that carries traffic), substructure and superstructure, which means the bridge's overall condition is a "poor, deterioration of primary structural elements has advanced," according to PennDOT. The highest condition rating is 9 for excellent condition. About 19,489 vehicles cross this bridge daily.

Another state-owned bridge noted to be structurally deficient by PennDOT is two miles north of West Chester Pike in Newtown Township. The bridge that sits on St. Davids Road by Landover Road is a 126-foot bridge built in 1968 and has a sufficiency rating of 67.

The bridge is a box beam spread and has a deck rating of 6, meaning the bridge is "satisfactory, structural elements showing minor deterioration," according to PennDOT. This bridge has a superstructure rating of 5, meaning it is "fair, primary structural elements are sound but showing minor cracks and signs of deterioration," and a substructure rating of 4. On average, about 9,641 vehicles are estimated to cross this bridge daily.

According to PennDOT, the state requests federal funding for bridge replacement or reconstruction, where bridges with low sufficiency ratings are eligible for more funds and bridges with ratings of 49 or less are eligible for replacement funding.

The Hanser bridge, off of Crum Creek Road and crosses Crum Creek in Marple, is locally owned but maintained by PennDOT. The bridge was built in 2009 and is eligible for replacement.

Five other bridges in Marple and one additional bridge in Newtown were deemed "functionally obsolete" by PennDOT, meaning the bridge has older features (for example, road widths and weight limits) compared to more recently built bridges.

Those bridges were as follows:

Structurally deficient or functionally obsolete bridges can be searchable by zip code or street address on the Transportation for America website, which allows users to assess how many structurally deficient bridges are in their towns.

Spreadsheets listing all of the local and state-owned bridges and their ratings are also accessible via PennDOT's website.