MONTGOMERY COUNTY NEWS

Montgomery County seeks bids to replace bridges

Items published on Montgomery County Purchasing Department website

Montgomery County Bridge No. 177 is located along Sterigere Street and runs over Stony Creek in Norristown. Photo by Rachel Ravina | The Reporter.

Items published on Montgomery County Purchasing Department website

  • Government

Plans to replace several Montgomery County bridges continue as elected officials authorize the issuance of a series of Requests For Proposals.

The nine-item package solicited interest for varying projects related to the replacements of bridges, as well as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, auditing services, and the installation of closed-circuit television systems. The decision was unanimous among the three Montgomery County commissioners.

Many of the items brought before county commissioners during a meeting on June 6 focused on the Montgomery County Department of Assets and Infrastructure.

Focusing on bridge replacements, bids were solicited for County Bridge No. 269, which runs along Easton Road over Sandy Run, in Abington Township. The bridge was initially built in 1930 and widened in 1970, according to a post on the Montgomery County Purchasing Department’s website. The “single span structure” is made up of reinforced concrete pipes, a reinforced concrete slab and a stone masonry arch, according to the county’s purchasing website.

“The proposed replacement is a cast-in-place concrete box culvert, replacing the stone masonry arch portion of the existing structure. The project includes removal of the stone masonry arch and replacement with the box culvert, full depth approach work, utility relocation, curb and paver replacement and other associate work,” the request for proposal states.

Funding would be secured through the county’s capital improvement program and motor vehicle registration fee, according to the request for proposals. Those interested in submitting bids have until 10 a.m. on July 10 to do so.

Requests for proposals were also published for design and engineering services for the Pennypack and Schuylkill River Trail bridges.

Assets and infrastructure experts were hoping to find a firm to “provide required engineering, environmental permitting, and construction consultation” for the replacement of the Pennypack Trail Bridge over the Branch of Pennypack Creek in Abington Township as well as the Schuylkill River Trail Bridge over Manor Road in Whitemarsh Township.

Both projects are being undertaken for “trail purposes,” according to the request for proposals, with funding secured through the county’s capital improvement program.

Both were built as “single span reinforced concrete slab bridge(s),” according to the request for proposals. Abington Township’s bridge spans 20 feet, while the bridge in Whitemarsh Township “has a span of 25 feet with a curb-to-curb width of 29 feet.”

Bids are due back on July 9. The Pennypack Trail request for proposals must be submitted by 10:30 a.m. and the Schuylkill River Trail request for proposal needs to be turned in by 11 a.m.

Additionally, a request for proposals was created for legal services on behalf of the Montgomery County Planning Commission. According to the submission form, the counsel is for the Wissahickon Watershed Clean Water Partnership’s management committee as “it establishes itself as a municipal consortium.” Funding is expected to come from consortium membership dues. Those interested have until 10:30 a.m. on July 2 to submit their bids.

Established participation is made up of Montgomery County municipalities, the City of Philadelphia and several wastewater treatment plants, according to Wissahickon Trails.

Ambler, Lansdale, and North Wales boroughs, along with Abington, Cheltenham, Lower Gwynedd, Montgomery, Springfield, Upper Dublin, Upper Gwynedd, Whitemarsh, and Whitpain Township make up the local contingent, according to Wissahickon Trails. The Abington, Ambler and Upper Gwynedd wastewater treatment plants are also involved, along with the Bucks County Water & Sewer Authority, of Warrington, which owns the Upper Dublin Township Sewer System, according to Upper Dublin Township’s website.

“The purpose of the consortium will be to implement the Wissahickon Water Quality Improvement Plan,” the request for proposal states.

The next Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 27 on the eighth floor of One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede St., Norristown. Those interested in attending the meeting can also do so virtually. Visit montgomerycountypa.gov for more information.

This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit www.thereporteronline.com.


author

Rachel Ravina | The Reporter

Rachel Ravina is a journalist covering news and lifestyle features in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. She grew up in Blue Bell and graduated from Penn State. She's also a news enthusiast who is passionate about covering topics people want to read.