The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recently acquired right of way and temporary construction easements from property owners near the Lincoln Drive bridge in Rush Township.

The agency plans to replace the bridge that spans the Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad on Lincoln Drive in Hometown.

Sean Brown, a spokesman for PennDOT, explained that the proposed replacement bridge will be approximately 4.5 feet higher than the existing bridge to provide the required clearance over the active railroad.

“Increasing the bridge elevation requires reconstructing and raising the roadway approaches on both ends of the bridge,” Brown said.

The rights of way and easements were needed from properties north and south of the bridge to accommodate a wider roadway embankment, drainage improvements and reconstruction of driveways, he noted.

According to Schuylkill County property records, the easements were obtained from the Tamaqua Area Water Authority, Silberline Manufacturing Company, the railroad and a private property owner. The transactions were recorded for $1 each.

Lincoln Drive, which spans between Route 54 and Route 309 in Hometown, has been closed since September 2023 after an inspection revealed severe deterioration on the bridge, which was built in 1924.

Traffic has been detoured since then. Before it was shut down, Lincoln Drive saw an average of 1,384 vehicles daily.

Brown said the estimated construction completion is the end of September 2027.