The Schuylkill River Heritage Area dedicated a new plaque on the Schuylkill River Trail pedestrian bridge over Lancaster Avenue, in West Reading, recognizing Engineer Dwight R. Powell for his efforts in getting the bridge constructed in 2005.
The plaque was officially dedicated on Monday at a brief dedication ceremony on the newly renamed Powell Bridge, located on Lancaster Avenue and Morgantown Road, in Reading (Rts. 222 & 10).
The 10-foot-wide steel and concrete structure provides a vital link in the Thun Trail section of the Schuylkill River Trail, as it enables pedestrians and cyclists to cross one of Reading’s busiest intersections without entering the roadway.
The plaque recognizes Powell for ‘dedicated service as trail construction manager for the Schuylkill River Greenway Association.’ Powell has served in that capacity for the Schuylkill Greenway Association, managers of the Schuylkill River Heritage Area, since 1997.
Powell, who is the president of Powell Engineering Contractors, in Reading, has engineered construction and improvement projects for the entire 28 miles of trail that is located in Berks and Schuylkill Counties. Those sections of the trail are operated and maintained by the Schuylkill River Heritage Area, and Powell has worked with Heritage Area staff to supervise project design, manage construction and perform inspections along virtually every mile of those trail sections.
His work on the pedestrian bridge over Lancaster Avenue was particularly significant because Powell provided value engineering that helped cut expenses in the face of higher than anticipated construction costs.
When the project was bid in 2004, the lowest bid came in $400,000 higher than had been originally estimated, primarily due to escalating steel prices. The Schuylkill River Heritage Area was able to close part of the funding gap by securing $150,000 from PennDOT administered federal Transportation Enhancement Funding, and $175,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Partnership Program.
Because Powell’s guidance helped cut construction costs, the Heritage Area was able to foot the rest of the bill directly from its coffers.
‘For 10 years now, this bridge has been providing a safe pedestrian crossing over one of the busiest highways in Reading,’ observed Heritage Area Executive Director Kurt Zwikl.
‘Dwight Powell’s efforts played a key role in making that happen. The board of the Schuylkill River Heritage Area is pleased to recognize him for the very significant contribution he has made to this bridge and to the Schuylkill River Trail in general.’
Submitted by Schuylkill River Heritage Area
