Brownsville Road Bridge over Neshaminy Creek
McCormick Taylor worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to overcome and work around site constraints to replace the Brownsville Road Bridge over Neshaminy Creek with a longer, wider, and elevated structure that enhances safety, visibility, and decreases obstruction of the creek.
The Challenge
Last replaced in 1956, the Brownsville Road bridge was a four-span prestressed concrete box beam bridge connecting Lower Southampton and Middletown Townships in Bucks County. The bridge was approximately 254 feet long, 31.5 feet wide, and sat 15-18 feet above the water. The structure had begun to crack heavily along the beams, walls, and wingwalls, with one of the walls and wingwalls leaning outward. Despite attempts to repair the bridge, it had failed to meet PennDOT design standards and had become a safety hazard. The Brownsville Road Bridge carries approximately 8,000 cars per day and serves as an important emergency throughfare across the Neshaminy watershed.
During planning and design of the new bridge, the project team had to manage and consider several environmental elements, including working within time restraints as to not disturb the brumation and nesting periods of red-bellied turtles in the project’s area.
How We Helped
McCormick Taylor worked closely with PennDOT to design a new 3-span prestressed concrete bulb tee beam bridge to replace the existing bridge. The new bridge is 278 feet long and 41 feet wide, approximately 24 feet longer and 10 feet wider than the previous bridge. The new structure provides one 11-foot travel lane in each direction with one 12-foot and one 4-foot shoulder. The bridge was also raised 9 feet to allow a larger waterway opening under the bridge and improve the visibility of the bridge from approaching roads. McCormick Taylor was also heavily involved during construction, providing design and consultation services for the replacement bridge and the existing bridge/pier demolition.
Extensive coordination and communication with regulatory agencies, stakeholders, and contractors was required for design and construction efforts, which resulted in some notable techniques to protect both the new bridge and local wildlife:
- Cofferdams minimize long-term impact of the creek, reducing sediment displacement and pollutants entering the waterway.
- Partially grouted riprap was installed at the piers and abutments to offer scour protection.
- The construction plan allowed for one less pier under the bridge, improving water flow and decreasing the likelihood of overtopping.
- The heightened structure allows for better visibility of the bridge for those approaching and decreases likelihood of overtopping.
- A widened, 12-foot shoulder to allow for improved intersection visibility on approaches to the bridge.
- A silt fence was installed during the red-bellied turtle’s dormant period around the construction site and other important areas to prevent the turtles from entering the worksite or other possibly dangerous spots during their active and nesting seasons.
- In-water construction was restricted to a five-month period when red-bellied turtles were least likely to be affected by construction activities.
The Results
The new Brownsville Road Bridge, recently renamed to the PFC George Raymond Huntzinger Memorial Bridge, enhances safety for both drivers crossing the bridge and wildlife who call Neshaminy Creek home. Thanks to a detour diverting traffic away from the construction site, the bridge finished construction approximately 15 months ahead of schedule. The wider lanes and shoulders have decreased the risk of collisions and increased the overall visibility for traffic crossing over.
