Berks County somehow survives closing of Buttonwood Street Bridge

by Steve Reinbrecht

Carl Geffken, Berks County's chief operating officer, updated me last week on the Buttonwood Street Bridge project, managed by the county and expected to keep the bridge over the Schuylkill River between West Reading and Reading closed for two years. Before it closed July 21, it carried an average of 16,500 vehicles a day.

Geffken said the $14 million project has proceeded as planned.

“Residents and commuters are adjusting to the closure. There does not appear to be any traffic issues in Reading. West Reading has a fair amount of traffic, but it does not appear to be problematic,” he wrote in an e-mail.

There were no surprises or unforeseen problems with the closing and the detours, he said. No changes with the detours are planned, he said.