Full rehab scheduled for bridge in Nicetown

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Pieces of concrete have been falling off a local bridge. FOX 29 showed you the damage after chunks of concrete fell onto a car--totaling it.

READ MORE: Car totaled from falling concrete off Route 1 in Comcast parking lot

FOX 29s Jeff Cole went digging to find out whether a plan exists to fix it and it turns out there is.

The U.S. Route 1 Bridge that looms over the Nicetown community is nearly 60 years old. In places, it looks every bit its age.

"Yes, it's in poor condition," Nicetown resident Tracy Grier said.

Sections of concrete have worn away sending chunks hurtling to the sidewalk below. Rusty water, leaching through the aging structure's joints has stained support-pillars and chipped away at the concrete.

"The structure looks to be spitting concrete and rebar is that the case?" FOX 29's Jeff Cole asked. PennDOT consultant Vito Genua replied, "Yes, anybody who goes out there can see that. There's evidence of that."

According to PennDOT, it's why crews will strip-away loose concrete ready to fall next month and why the 2,600 foot span is now inspected yearly.

"It certainly is a safe structure, but again with an aging structure you need to take care of that," Genua said.

80 million in state and federal dollars will take care of that over 3 and a half years starting in 2019--a full rehab.

"Take care of the deteriorating concrete and do some structural steel repair," Genua said.

It's a massive job on a span 90,000 vehicles use daily.