Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Susquehanna River to close for 3 years to be rebuilt

Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Susquehanna River will close to traffic for about three years during an extensive rehabilitation project to save the historic structure, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Elected and municipal officials in York and Lancaster counties were recently informed about the planned long-term closure of the bridge, which connects Columbia and Wrightsville boroughs. Route 462 serves as a detour route when a crash occurs on Route 30.

"It's an old bridge, and we're going to try to save it," Columbia Mayor Leo Lutz said.

The state Department of Transportation had been planning a rehabilitation project for the 94-year-old bridge when a routine inspection last summer uncovered deterioration and "a significant change" in its condition. The structure now has a weight limit of 10 tons except for emergency vehicles that need to cross it.

The finding prompted interim repairs and delayed the rehabilitation project.

The scope of the work on the bridge has significantly increased, and the entire project, including design, utilities and construction, now is projected to cost approximately $234 million, PennDOT spokesman Dave Thompson said.

What the extensive repairs to the Route 462 bridge will entail

The rehabilitation of the bridge is expected to take about five years, Thompson said. The structure will be closed in the middle of the project as some work will be done before it is shut down as well as after it reopens.

PennDOT is "actively considering all measures" that would minimize the duration of the closure, he said.

PennDOT says a deck and barrier rehabilitation had been planned, but now everything above the river arches — the deck, barriers, beams and columns — will need to be removed and rebuilt. The river arches and piers will remain in place.

"The amount of materials to be removed and rebuilt back is about 3.5 times the quantity previously planned," Thompson wrote in an email.

PennDOT plans to have a public meeting in September on the project. Construction is expected to begin in 2027.

Some elected officials are concerned about the economic hardships the boroughs will face as well as the traffic woes as a result of the closure of the bridge. The communities are trying to make plans for it now.

"That's going to have a serious impact on our businesses and our communities," Wrightsville Councilman Eric White said.

Residents will have to get on Route 30 at the Wrightsville interchange to travel across the river, he said. They'll be losing a few extra minutes of sleep.

In the past, PennDOT had told communities that pedestrian and bicycle traffic would be allowed across the Veterans Memorial Bridge during construction, but that's no longer possible because of the extensive work needed, White said.

Plans are being made in case a crash shuts down the Route 30 bridge. The department has been looking at allowing traffic to flow in one lane in each direction in the event of an emergency.

The construction project also will have an impact on Wrightsville's park along the riverfront, White said. Crews will need to run a road through it so supplies can be transported to the work site.

"It's quite substantial," he said of the project.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Susquehanna River to close for 3 years to be rebuilt