Emergency repairs approved for Walt Whitman Bridge
The agency that operates the Walt Whitman bridge connecting southern New Jersey and Philadelphia has approved $2.7 million in work to repair holes found on the bridge’s steelwork.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Delaware River Port Authority board approved the emergency, no-bid repairs Thursday. The repairs come months after a three-year, $140 million redecking of the bridge was completed.
The DRPA says that one of the holes in a support beam was big enough to put a hard hat in.
Workers also completed emergency repairs after rusted gusset plates under the new bridge deck were discovered in June.
DRPA chief executive John Hanson says that the rusted plates wouldn’t have led to a bridge collapse, but would have damaged other components.
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