Fruitville Road Bridge
NBI Information
Location
State: Pennsylvania
County: Montgomery County
Feature Carried: Fruitville Road
Feature Crossed: Perkiomen Creek
Latitude, Longitude: 40.4077,-75.5223
Toll: On free road
Maintenance Responsibility: County Highway Agency
Structure Open, Posted, or Closed to Traffic: Bridge closed to all traffic
History
Year Built: 1905
Historical Significance: Bridge is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
Year Reconstructed: 1999
Year Closed: 2014
Picture Date: December 11, 2022
Geometry
Lanes on Structure: 1
Lanes under Structure: 0
Skew: 0 degrees
Number of Main Spans: 1
Main Structure Type: Truss - Thru
Main Structure Material: Steel
Number of Approach Spans: 6
Approach Structure Type: Arch - Deck
Approach Structure Material: Masonry
Condition
Inspection Date: July 2020
Deck Condition: Satisfactory
Superstructure Condition: Imminent Failure
Substructure Condition: Serious
Channel Condition: Poor
Culvert: Not Applicable
NBI Year: 2023
Bridge Information
The Fruitville Road Bridge is a six panel Pratt Through Truss, built in 1905. It was rehabilitated in 1963 and again in 1999. However, this bridge continued to be problematic and was closed sometime around 2014, although there are some major discrepancies with the exact year. There have been discussions about replacing it, but there has been no actual progress made.
The approach spans for this bridge are a series of two sections of closed spandrel arch bridges, each with three spans. Some sources count this as a separate bridge, but the NBI classifies them as approach spans for the truss. The stone arch sections have coursed, dressed red-colored stone spandrel walls and stepped parapets originally finished with bluestone capstones. The arch sections are separated from each other and from the truss span with an earthen causeway. Based on a report published by Preservation PA in 2008, this bridge is not a strong candidate for long-term preservation.
References
Historic Bridges: https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=pennsylvania/fruitville/
Preservation PA: https://www.preservationpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2008-PA-At-Risk.pdf
