Shapiro Administration Highlights Improved Bridge Conditions, Emergency Response in Berks County

Progress continues in 2024, with PennDOT advancing over 360 bridge projects statewide this year, improving the reliability of the Commonwealth's bridges and improve traffic flow to help Pennsylvanians get to their destination quickly and safely.

Lower Alsace Township, PA - Today, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll held an event at a Berks County construction project to highlight Pennsylvania's improved bridge conditions and the significant progress continuing in 2024. Pennsylvania repaired the most poor-condition bridges of any state last year and PennDOT has advanced projects for over 360 state and locally owned bridges so far this year.

The event was Secretary Carroll's most-recent visit to the Lower Alsace Township project in Berks County, where flash flooding washed away a large section of the bank of Antietam Creek, along with the foundation of a nearby building. The Route 2023 (Carsonia Avenue) bridge was replaced, and a project improving safety and traffic flow at the nearby intersection with Route 2025 (Antietam Road) and Route 2071 (Friedensburg Road) is also nearly complete.

"This project shows how PennDOT shows up for our partners when disaster strikes, and how seriously we take our commitment to keeping people and our economy moving," Secretary Carroll said. "This bridge is an example of the thousands of poor condition bridges PennDOT and our partners have repaired or replaced in recent years and we are focused on making even more progress across Pennsylvania."

PennDOT has been making steady progress to repair the Commonwealth's bridges for years. In 2008, Pennsylvania had more than 6,000 state-owned bridges classified as in poor condition - but since then, PennDOT has successfully repaired or replaced more than 3,000 bridges. In 2023 and 2024, there have been 25 state-owned bridges and one locally owned bridge slated for repair or replacement in Berks County.

More repairs are underway and planned after Governor Shapiro secured additional infrastructure funding in his first two budgets. This year alone, PennDOT has improved over 4,100 miles of roadway, including over 1,300 miles of paving. In Berks County, PennDOT has improved over 101 miles of roadway, including over 96 miles of paving.

Across the state, nearly 1,500 projects are underway or expected to start or go out for bid this year, with a total value of $9.2 billion. So far this year, over 260 construction contracts for highway, bridge, and other improvement projects were completed statewide through PennDOT's private-sector partners.

In August, Governor Shapiro announced a significant investment of over $51 million in funding from the Multimodal Transportation Fund to support 66 crucial transportation projects across 32 counties in Pennsylvania. The funding will be allocated towards highway, bridge, aviation, ports, and bike and pedestrian initiatives - ensuring a safe and reliable transportation system for all Pennsylvanians. The Commonwealth is home to one of the largest state-maintained road and bridge networks in the nation.

The 2024-25 bipartisan budget signed by Governor Shapiro this summer allocates $80.5 million in new funding to repair roads and bridges and continues to sustainably fund the Pennsylvania State Police by reducing their reliance on the Motor License Fund. This delivers an additional $125 million for road and bridge projects annually over the next four years - on top of the $125 million the Governor secured in the 2023-24 budget.

For more information on PennDOT's ongoing infrastructure projects, visit penndot.pa.gov. Subscribe to statewide PennDOT news and traffic alerts at penndot.pa.gov/news or choose a region under Regional Offices.

Information about the state's infrastructure and results PennDOT is delivering for Pennsylvanians can be found at penndot.pa.gov/results. Find PennDOT's planned and active construction projects at projects.penndot.gov.

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