Buttonwood Street Bridge work pauses during high river

by Steve Reinbrecht

The level of the Schuylkill River rose about 6 feet over 24 hours in Reading, dramatically changing the scene at the Buttonwood Street Bridge construction project.

On sunny Tuesday, heavy equipment sat on the temporary dam.

Thursday, the water gushed over the dam, with the cranes parked on the bank.

Until construction crews closed it in July, thousands of vehicles and hundreds of pedestrians used the bridge to cross the Schuylkill River. The 770-foot bridge between Reading and West Reading was built in 1931. It also crosses the West Shore bypass and railroad tracks. 

In June 2009, the bridge was rated 2 out of 100 for sufficiency.

The project still has more than a year to go. Berks County is paying $14 million in state money to J.D. Eckman Inc., of Atglen, Chester County. The contract calls for reopening the bridge by the end of April 2017.