Pennsylvania DOT slates meeting for removal of road bridge over CSX tracks

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) later this month will hold an open house for its plan to remove the McBride Viaduct vehicular bridge over CSX tracks in Erie.

The project involves removing the 1,170-foot bridge and all piers, steps and ramps. In addition, PennDOT will install fencing to prohibit pedestrians from crossing the tracks.

The open house will take place Oct. 25 in Erie. The McBride Viaduct runs between East 12th Street and East 19th Street. The structure spans multiple sets of CSX tracks.

The McBride Viaduct was built in 1938 and has received major rehabilitations since. However, the bridge has been deemed "structurally deficient and functionally obsolete" due to the poor quality of its structural elements, according to the project's website.

As part of the plan to remove the viaduct, PennDOT entered a preliminary engineering agreement with CSX. The demolition plans were then submitted in September 2016.