Beams set for new Keim Street bridge

POTTSTOWN — All kinds of preparation and foundation building go into building a new bridge from the “ground” up.

But when the beams that will span the Schuylkill River at Keim Street went into place, suddenly the progress became more visible.

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  Navigating 150-foot beams through some of the curves on Industrial Highway took some expert driving. (Photo by Colin Kund of H&K Group, Inc.)
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  Even getting the 150-foot beams down to the installation site was a challenge. (Photo by Colin Kund of H&K Group, Inc.)
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  It takes expert crane work to get the 150-foot pre-stressed concrete beams into just the right place. (Photo by Colin Kund of H&K Group, Inc.)
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  This aerial photo shows the sixth 150-foot beam for the new Keim Street bridge being nestled into place. (Photo by Colin Kund of H&K Group, Inc.)

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Navigating 150-foot beams through some of the curves on Industrial Highway took some expert driving. (Photo by Colin Kund of H&K Group, Inc.)

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Over the week of Jan. 5, the H&K’s Structures Team set the first 15 pre-stressed concrete beams for the Keim Street Bridge, spanning the Schuylkill River between Pottstown and North Coventry.

The beams, made by Northeast Prestressed Products, LLC, weigh in at 198,600 pounds each and are 150 feet in length.

With assistance from Sautter Crane Rental and Kee-Ta Quay Construction, the beams were safely set. The next phase of the project includes 10 beams, bringing the total to 25 beams for the new bridge, according to a post on the H&K Facebook page.

Last March, 15 years after the Keim Street bridge was closed due to structural deficiencies, ground was broken on its replacement. It will take three years to build the new bridge.

Built in 1935 over the Schuylkill River, the Keim Street bridge, known to longtimers as the Madison bridge, connects the Industrial Highway in Pottstown with Route 724 in North Coventry Township in Chester County.

The bridge closed in 2010 due to structural deficiencies. At the time of its closure, approximately 9,400 vehicles were using the Keim Street Bridge daily.

The $20 million project is fully funded by the federal government, part of the bipartisan infrastructure law signed by President Biden.