Montco Official Says Keim Street Bridge Project Moving Forward

Location of Lower Pottsgrove Township in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

LOWER POTTSGROVE TOWNSHIP, PA — Not that she needed a reminder that all politics are local, but Montgomery County Commissioner Leslie Richards still remembers one of the first calls she got on the historic night she and Commissioners Chairman Josh Shapiro made history by being the first Democrats to take the majority in 100 years.

“I’ll never forget one of the first calls I got on election night,” she said March 24 as she, Shapiro and Commissioner Bruce Castor conducted the last of their roundtable meetings around the county, this one at the Lower Pottsgrove Township Building.

“I said ‘hello’ and the voice on the other end said ‘so when is the new Keim Street Bridge going to be finished?’”

The answer, she gave Monday, is that the project is “moving forward.”

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140331/montco-official-says-keim-street-bridge-project-moving-forward

Keim Street Bridge Replacement Vote Tabled By Montgomery County Commissioners

I just read the Fishwrap‘s latest Keim Street bridge article.  I am left scratching my head.  If the quote in the article is correct, then we are lead to believe that the Montgomery County Commissioners learned of this “change of heart” in the newspaper.  Naturally they tabled the vote to approve the engineering contract.  Sadly, the $247,992 contract was going to a Pottstown area business.

Nobody thought calling Norristown to tell them about this “new thinking” would be prudent?  Instead, the commissioners were left to “read all about it” in the newspaper!  WTH!  This proposal should have been discussed “off-line” with the township and the county before any of this information was made public.

And while we’re at it, has anybody polled the North Coventry Township Supervisors or residents?  The Keim Street bridge does connect them to Pottstown so they may have some thoughts on the matter.  Were the township supervisors left to “read about it in the paper” as well?  So much for thinking “regionally”.

No wonder this town never gets any respect from the county.  What kind of message does this send?  Not a very positive one.  It’s like Alice In Wonderland, we just went down another rabbit hole.

COMMUNICATION people!

UPDATE!  North Coventy officials are PISSED!  Check this out!  http://www.pottstownmercury.com/articles/2011/08/11/news/doc4e449dba87aa2669813071.txt

Keim Street Bridge Comments By Councilor Jody Rhoads From Wednesday’s Committee of the Whole Meeting

The following comments were made by Councilor Rhoads on August 3rd, at the Committee of the Whole Meeting during the Pottstown Borough Council’s discussion about the Keim Street Bridge situation.  There is debate about whether Council should stop pushing PennDOT to replace the Keim Street Bridge and seek other alternative solutions that are cheaper and have a better chance of being approved.

What I would like to see, with all the studies and tons of money that has been spent over the years on studies, studies, studies, is the county (Montgomery) send a survey out to all the people in the area who have been using the bridge.  I have heard a lot of complaints since the bridge was closed.  A lot of people want to see it open. 

That bridge was there a long time.  I believe before I was born.  The Keim Street Bridge is the in middle of both of these improvements (the Stowe and Armand Hammer Blvd interchanges) and for this revitalization that has been talked about for probably over 25 years, Bethlehem Steel* is there, if that does ever go.  That access in and out of town in important.  As far as I am concerned, it is there and to take that bridge away I think would do us harm.  There is a lot of traffic that goes up and down Keim Street.  That is an important road.  *The former Bethlehem Steel site is now the Pottstown Industrial Complex.

Hanover Street (the interchange) has no entrance to westbound 422.  That is a deficiency.  If there were some changes there, I know there are houses right there in South Pottstown.  At least if there was an entrance to 422 westbound there, that would help somewhat. 

You are talking about improvements at either end of Industrial Highway, but there is nothing in the middle.  I think this is important.  Keim Street does have, it is all there, (the ability) to go west as it is now.  You could go over it (Keim Street Bridge) and go west.

Others do not live here, we do.  Once the bridge is gone, it is not coming back, I will guarantee you that.  If it is in the background hanging in limbo, that chance is in the future, who knows what the future brings.

Once it is gone, you know how that works….