The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has posted signs designating a 10-ton weight restriction on the Route 462 Veterans Memorial Bridge (Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge) over the Susquehanna River connecting the boroughs of Wrightsville in York County and Columbia in Lancaster County. The sign posting officially implements the 10-ton limit established by the department on July 17.

The new restriction limits the weight of each vehicle to 10 tons except for emergency and other vehicles specifically permitted by PennDOT. Vehicles exceeding the posted weight limit should use Route 30, an 8.7-mile detour, or another alternative route. Truck detour signs for Route 462 were scheduled to be installed around the beginning of August to provide supplemental support for the new weight restriction.

The weight restriction was implemented after a routine inspection uncovered deterioration to the primary load-carrying members of the open spandrel concrete arch spans along portions of the bridge. PennDOT is working toward interim repairs to the bridge and will re-evaluate the posting while repairs are being made.

The weight restriction was created to reduce strain on the bridge and thereby allow safe passage until more significant interim repairs can occur. Given the necessity to change the design scope of work on the bridge, inclusive of bridge deck, floor beam and column replacement, work on the bridge for the permanent condition is now not anticipated to occur until the summer of 2025.

The historic Route 462 bridge was built in 1930. Approximately 11,548 vehicles use the bridge daily, with about 601 trucks anticipated to be affected by this posting.

For more information about PennDOT and its projects, visit http://www.penndot.pa.gov.