Barricades block a portion of South Old Boulevard and its sidewalk that have begun to crumble after decades of use. By next year, Falls Township hopes to have the road fixed and fully open to motorists and pedestrians.
The Board of Supervisors recently approved a motion to advertise their intent to hire Bensalem's BrightLine Construction at $336,173 to fix the roadway and culvert that runs below.
The bridge, located between Parkway Avenue and Southway Drive, has been crumbling for months and work on it has been delayed by previous bids which were considered to be "exuberantly high," Chairman Bob Harvie said.
Falls Township went out for new bids and was pleased to discover lower pricetag for the project, officials said.
The project is planned to begin in the early part of 2013 and should close the road for about a week, James Sullivan, the township engineer, said.
As part of the work, Sullivan said PECO will be forced to de-engerize power lines along the roadway while a crane is used to install the new culvert. Work also has to be done when the creek's water flow is low.
The township engineer added that Falls already owns the $112,000 culvert that needs to be installed. Over summer, bidders added an approximately $300,000 fee for purchase of the large pipe.
