PennDot says Birmingham Bridge needs more work

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation engineers say they will have to replace a bearing system on the Birmingham bridge that failed Feb 8 causing a portion of the span to drop 8 inches. crews are now shoring up the span and designing a new bearing system. Penn Dot Dist. 11 Executive Dan Cessna says design work and weather will determine how fast repairs can be made but the goal is still to get half of the bridge open by the last week of Feb. At first only the south bound side of the bridge will be open with one lane in each direction. The rest of the bridge has been inspected and Cessna says it is safe. A similar bridge on I-79 over Nevil island has also been inspected and deemed safe. The cause of the 8-inch drop has not yet been determined.