Clear Spring Rd. bridge over railroad tracks to close indefinitely (Updated)

Results of a recent inspection of the Clear Spring Road bridge over the Norfolk Southern tracks will lead to the bridge’s indefinite closure.

North Annville and North Londonderry townships shared news of the closure online Thursday evening.

The bridge, located in North Annville Township, is owned by Norfolk Southern, according to PennDOT’s bridge database. The bridge, 71 feet long and 31 feet wide, was built in 1937.

North Annville Township posted on its website Thursday that, “Due to an issue discovered during a recent inspection, the Clear Spring Road bridge over the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks will close indefinitely to all traffic by no later than Wednesday May 7, 2025.”

The update continues: “A detour utilizing Routes 934 & 422 will be put into place. More details will be publicized as they become available.”

The bridge was due last month for its biennial inspection. Inspection occurred on April 28, said PennDOT spokesperson Dave Thompson, with structural evaluation and then detour plan development over the following two days. The inspection was carried out by a consultant engineering firm under a local inspection contract to meet PennDOT & municipal NBIS (statutory) requirements for bridge inspection.

Read More: Taking stock of a bridge over ‘trouted’ waters on the Tulpehocken Creek

Thompson said that the inspection found deck condition to be satisfactory and the superstructure condition to be fair, but issues with the bridge substructure led to the closure.

“The deficient members are two of the retaining walls leading into the structure,” said Thompson. “The walls have deteriorated about halfway up and are experiencing rotation.”

A detour using U.S. Route 422 and State Route 934 is in the approval and installation process.

Thompson said that there is no timeline for when bridge rehabilitation or reconstruction might occur, but all parties involved are working to address the issue permanently.

North Annville Township has maintenance responsibility for the road surface only, while Norfolk Southern has maintenance responsibility for the superstructure and substructure.

Clear Spring Road is located between State Route 934 and the sprawling South Annville Township warehouse district, where 3 million square feet of warehouse space has already been built, with another 2.5 million square feet already planned.

A roundabout once earmarked for Route 934 and Clear Spring Road to support the flow of traffic from the DHL logistics park reached a roadblock in September 2024 when the developer withdrew an offer for supplemental construction funds, citing an August decision by North Annville Township supervisors to restrict trailer sizes on Clear Spring Road.

A Norfolk Southern owned bridge in Derry Township may offer a glimpse into the future for what the timeline may entail for any rehabilitation or reconstruction of the Clear Spring Road bridge.

As reported by the Hummelstown Sun, a $10.6 million project to replace the Laudermilch Road bridge over the railroad’s tracks began in November 2023, but has already been delayed a year past its original estimated July 2025 completion date.

The Sun quoted state Rep. Tom Mehaffie (R-106) as saying that the delay was due to a Norfolk Southern policy requiring the railroad’s representatives to be on site when any work is being performed.

“NS has the right to do it the way they want to do it,” Mehaffie told the Sun in January. “With all the things NS wants, and all the reviews that it did, it took a long time.”