Construction on Elm Street stone arch bridge continues through late 2025
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that the intersection of Markley Street (U.S. 202 South) and Elm Street in Norristown, Montgomery County, was reopened on Friday, May 2, 2025, after being closed since April 15, 2024, for reconstruction under PennDOT’s project to rehabilitate the Elm Street arch bridge over Stony Creek.
Under this $7.8 million bridge rehabilitation project, PennDOT’s contractor, J.D. Eckman, reconstructed and widened Markley Street at the Elm Street intersection; adjusted the pavement on Elm Street; installed new, adaptive traffic signals at the intersection; relocated the sanitary sewer and water mains; installed new curbs, sidewalks, and ADA curb ramps; and installed new signing and guiderails.
While the intersection of Markley Street (U.S. 202 South) and Elm Street has reopened, construction continues on the stone arch bridge rehabilitation. Temporary short-term lane and sidewalk restrictions may be required through the completion of the project in late 2025.
Built in 1878 and carrying approximately 24,993 vehicles a day, the Markley Street/Elm Street bridge over Stony Creek is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The rehabilitation of the structure has been conducted in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and the PennDOT Stone Arch Bridge Maintenance Manual.
Work on the U.S. 202 South (Markley Street) Improvement Project began in 2013 with widening and reconstruction between Elm Street and Johnson Highway (Section 520), ending in fall 2015.
In 2019, the second of four contracts (Section 510) began, improving the corridor and intersecting streets between Main Street and Elm Street.
The third section of the corridor, Section 530, extended Barbadoes Street from Lafayette Street to Washington Street to improve traffic flow by providing an alternate route through the busy intersection of Markley Street and Main Street, finishing in 2022.