New Transit Bill Would Bring $22M To KOP Area

Norristown PA

14 July, 2021

12:51 PM

Description

UPPER MERION, PA — A series of projects around Montgomery County, including a pair in Bridgeport and Upper Merion, would receive tens of millions in funding under the newly passed transportation bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. The $715 billion "INVEST in America Act" would allocate more than $22 million to the two local projects, including a widening of South Henderson Road and the rehabilitation of the Bridgeport Viaduct. The huge bill is expected to pass through the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate next, before being signed into law by President Joe Biden. The bill includes six projects under Montgomery County's U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean 4th District, which accounted for more than $40 million all told. The largest, however, is the $17.5 million earmarked to SEPTA for the Bridgeport Viaduct project, a 110-year-old bridge which carries the Norristown High Speed Line over the Schuylkill River and into the Norristown Transportation Center. The money would be used to repair steel and concrete beams, as well as painting to protect the bridge from weather. "This project is an integral part of SEPTA's ability to expand the rail network," Rep. Dean wrote in a letter which is included in the text of the bill. "Connecting the region's three largest employment centers with reliable transit." The Upper Merion Transit Authority would also receive $5 million under the new legislation to widen South Henderson Road between South Gulph Road and Church Road. The improved roadway would help alleviate congestion in an area that is frequently tied-up, and rapidly growing.