Harsh Weather Delays Roadway Construction In Levittown

Construction and repair of both the Bristol-Oxford Valley Road bridge and Route 413 in Levittown are now behind schedule after the bout of bad weather that struck the areas in early September, according to James J. Anderson Construction Company, Inc.

Company Vice President Rick Foster announced the news to members of the Bristol Township Business Coalition at their Tuesday meeting in the private hall of Georgine's Restaurant in Bristol.

"You all may know me as one of the guys that's messing up your roads," Foster joked before informing the group.

Completion of the Bristol-Oxford Valley Road Bridge, which was originally slated for early October, has been pushed back to late October of this year.

The Route 413 project, which is tentatively slated for a July 2012 completion date, has much more work ahead.

According to Foster, concrete patching on several segments of the road, including an entire section between New Falls Road and Durham Road, still need to be completed before asphalting can be finished. Due to issues with the winter weather, If not completed on schedule, the construction crew will need to wait until mid-April of 2012 in order to complete the asphalting.

"The weather (early September) has brought difficulties with the project," Foster said.

The roadwork has been a divisive for many of the members of the BTBC. When the Route 413 expansion project was announced last March, BTBC members rallied at township meetings, fearful that the construction would hurt their business.

BTBC member Bruce Rodgers said his business has been negatively effected by extensive roadwork. When Rodgers' gas station, Liberty Gas, was cut off from traffic flow by the closure of the Bristol-Oxford Valley Road bridge last October, he said his revenue fall by almost half in six months.

The work on Route 413 is part of a $7.5 million PennDOT renovation project slated for completion July 2012.