The latest debris clean-up effort at the Douglassville Bridge on the Schuylkill River takes a new approach. And, if you’re traveling at night next week on state Route 562 between Boyertown and Yellow House, use caution.
Schuylkill Greenways Removing Debris at Douglassville Bridge
DOUGLASSVILLE PA – Removal of downed trees and dropped branches from the Schuylkill River, which threaten the safety of the historic Douglassville Bridge, is under way.
The work that began some weeks ago is expected to be completed during early September, according to the non-profit Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area. The Pottstown-based organization helps promote economic development, civic engagement, and public stewardship in the recreational corridor.
The river and its adjacent Schuylkill River Trail are focal points of regional tourism and travel. The Berks County bridge rates among the trail’s “crucial” river crossings, Greenways adds. Its structure consists in part of short spans and openings. Powerful storms in recent years have caused tree debris to “pile up under the legacy footings” of the bridge.
It’s not the first time the bridge area has been subject to a clean-up. During the past 20 years, Greenways has been engaged in two other debris sweeps. Both were conducted from atop the bridge, and required the closure of a portion of the award-winning trail. It is among the most traveled paths in Pennsylvania.
There’s an important change, however, in the newest cleaning.
Greenways says this effort is being conducted from the northern bank of the river, rather than from the bridge itself. The positioning makes “the project much more manageable,” the agency notes, and is being made possible “thanks to to the involvement of several property owners” nearby.
The northern bank location also provides an added benefit. The position “makes it possible to clean up after future large storms, greatly reducing the likelihood of pile-ups,” according to Greenways.
Top photo provided to Travels With The Post by Schuylkill River Greenways
Crack-Filling Work Planned Nightly Next Week on PA Route 562
BOYERTOWN PA – Maintenance workers will be busy next week filling highway cracks on PA Route 562 in eastern Berks County.
A roughly 7-mile stretch of the road from Boyertown to Yellow House will be the site of crack-sealing efforts. They are scheduled for next Monday through Friday (Aug. 16-23, 2024), nightly from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. The work will be performed by crews representing the District 5 office of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).
Drivers were warned to expect “lane closures in both directions, with flagging.” Traffic delays are possible, and drivers also were urged to “use caution … through the work zone. The work schedule depends on acceptable weather, it added, and may be postponed due to rain.
District 5 covers Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Schuylkill counties.
Flaggers’ sign photo by The Gilbertsville Post
Last Lick! Final Pottstown Ice Cream Run Set for Aug. 27