SEPTA Suspends Chestnut Hill East Line Service Ahead of Bridge Rehabilitation
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Chestnut Hill East Line
Courtesy of SEPTA
PHILADELPHIA - SEPTA announced it has suspended service on the Chestnut Hill East Line until September 2nd to allow for the rehabilitation of five bridges.
According to the release, these bridges were built in the late 1800s to early 1900s. As part of the agency’s Capital Program, crews will rehabilitate and restore the bridges to bring them to a state of good repair. Below is a breakdown of each bridge and the work that is planned to take place. All images are courtesy of SEPTA.
Wayne Avenue Bridge
Located in the Nicetown-TIoga neighborhood, this bridge was built in 1893 and was last repaired in 2011. Crews will reinstall existing deck ties and the structure of the track, make repairs to the structural steel and steel bearing. Additionally, they will make repairs to masonry, repoint, and paint.
Logan Street Bridge
Built in 1932, the bridge is located between Stenton Avenue and Belfield Avenue north of Wayne Junction.
Crews will remove and reinstall the track structure and make repairs to the concrete and steel. They will also replace the concrete platform and paint.
Chew Avenue Bridge
Located in East Germantown, the bridge was built in 1901 and carries two tracks over Chew Avenue. The bridge was last repaired in 2010. The planned rehabilitation for this bridge includes removing and reinstalling the track structure, repairing steel, waterproofing the top of deck and steel troughs, making repairs to masonry and repointing, and installing crash walls/attenuators.
Mt. Pleasant Avenue Bridge
Built in 1907, this bridge carries two tracks toward Sedgwick Station through the East Mount Airy neighborhood. SEPTA states Mt. Pleasant Ave is designed for bicycle use and Route 71 passes under the bridge. Crews will work to remove and reinstall track structure, make repairs to concrete and steel, paint, and complete waterproofing installation.
Cresheim Valley Drive Bridges
These two bridges were built in 1931 and pass over the PA Railroad (PRR) Fort Washington Branch. Located in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood, the PRR Fort Washington Branch is currently abandoned, but it is “anticipated to be connected to the nearby Cresheim Trail.” Similar to the other bridge rehabilitations, crews will remove and reinstall track structure, make repairs to concrete and masonry, and, “install a waterproofing membrane and protection board to the arch extrados and inside face of spandrel walls.” Additionally, they will replace ballast retaining walls.
