Single lane of Norman Wood Bridge may open next week
Photo by Jason Plotkin — York Daily Record/Sunday News
Terry Waite with J.D. Eckman Inc. climbs down a hydro platform as part of the company’s work helping with inspections of the Norman Wood Bridge on Thursday. PennDOT’s goal is to open a single lane on the span to some traffic by the end of next week. Crews are making repairs to the span after an 8-foot-long crack was found in a steel girder.
(York) — Crews began making repairs to the Norman Wood Bridge across the Susquehanna River this week, and transportation officials say the goal is to open the span to one lane for some traffic by the end of next week.
The bridge has been closed to all traffic since Sept. 28 when inspectors found an 8-foot-long crack in one of the steel girders. The two-lane, 21-span bridge connects southern York and Lancaster counties, and about 4,300 vehicles cross it daily.
The single lane would be opened to non-motorized vehicles, such as horses and buggies, and passenger vehicles that weigh no more than 5 tons, said Greg Penny of the state Department of Transportation. The lane would be about 9 feet wide and controlled by traffic signals.
PennDOT has been inspecting the span on a six-month cycle because of minor cracks reported in the bridge during a March 2014 inspection, Penny said.
A crack was not found in March at the location where the 8-foot one developed. Crews did not find any rust in the crack, indicating that “it’s relatively new,” Penny said.
PennDOT has enlisted the help of Lehigh University to help determine what caused the crack. Tests are being done.
Crews with J.D. Eckman Inc. of Atglen, Pa., have been drilling holes into the steel girder to help prevent the spread of cracks, Penny said. They also have been sandblasting to remove the paint from around the crack.
Plans call for bolting two steel plates — about 5 feet by 14 feet — over the crack.
Other minor cracks, which are not uncommon in this type of structure, were found in the span during the recent inspection, a news release stated. They will be analyzed and repaired.
PennDOT says it will continue with the six-month inspection cycle on the bridge because of the cracks that were found.
This article comes to us through a partnership between York Daily Record and WITF.
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