As we reported a few weeks ago, trucks that are too large to pass under height restriction apparatus placed at the West Valley Green Road Bridge keep slamming into it. The bridge, which is awaiting an overall repair by Montgomery County, also has a three ton weight limit, which the trucks are surpassing.

Due to this, Montgomery County announced today that it is closing the bridge. Below is the text of the county’s announcement made on the Whitemarsh Township Police Department’s Facebook page:

The West Valley Green Road Bridge will be officially closed and full detour set up by Thursday, 3/15/2018.

To ensure the safety of the traveling public, the County has elected to keep the bridge closed while they continue to advance the design of this structure. Prior to the recent closure, the bridge was weight restricted to 3 tons, which is the lowest allowable posting allowed per PennDOT, only accommodating standard passenger vehicles. Anything in excess threatens the safety of the bridge, which has been repeatedly subjected to weight restriction violations. To keep the bridge open, the County installed headache bars, a physical barrier, to prevent overweight vehicles from utilizing the bridge. Based on the number of oversized vehicles physically impacting the headache bars and attempting to cross the bridge, it will remain closed as Montgomery County takes the safety of the traveling public seriously. The County, along with it’s municipal and state partners, is exploring any and all options to improve the traffic situation impacted by the closure of the West Valley Green Road Bridge.

For any questions please refer to Montgomery County’s bridge status website at www.montcopa.org/bridgeinfo or contact us by email at BridgeInfo@montcopa.org or by calling 610-278-3613

According the the county’s website, 7,374 vehicles pass over the bridge daily.

Photo: Tom Gerstlauer