Northampton County General Purpose Authority Northampton County Bridge Renewal Program (P3)

Today, Northampton County owns and maintains 119 bridges. Like many other counties in the Commonwealth, a significant number of its bridges were rated in poor condition or considered functionally obsolete. In the 2021 National Bridge Inventory, 39 bridges in Northampton County were categorized as being in “poor” condition. These bridges range from a county-owned structure built in 1826 to the Route 33 bridges constructed in 2004. The county identified 28 bridges for replacement and five bridges for rehabilitation. Given that addressing each bridge individually through separate contracts would be time-consuming, the county opted for an innovative public-private partnership (P3) approach. This approach allows for greater private-sector involvement in all phases of the development, operation, and financing of transportation projects, expediting the overall project timeline.

GPI serves as the prime engineer and a key member of the developer’s team, overseeing all aspects of design from concept development through construction engineering, including demolition, erection, and construction. The project faced several environmental challenges, such as karst geology, bog turtle habitat, and other exceptional value (EV) wetlands, along with intricate utility relocations and right-of-way acquisition. Within 36 months, GPI successfully completed designs, obtained environmental clearances, and secured permits for all replacement sites. Construction on the first set of bridges began in just 12 months. To achieve this, the design incorporated a nearly total precast concrete approach for most bridges. The new bridge types include box culverts, arch culverts, integral abutment bridges, and conventional beam bridges.