After nearly six months of detours and congested traffic, Schuylkill Township can finally breathe a sigh of relief as the heavily-traveled Route 23 Bridge linking Valley Forge and Phoenixville reopened on Tuesday, seven weeks ahead of schedule.

The reopening of the bridge means return to normalcy for many of the borough’s residents, who have been forced to detoured over Route 422 west to the Oaks Interchange, then onto Egypt Road, Route 29, Bridge Street and Route 113 (Bridge Street).

PennDOT officials said that both the department and the contractor made a strong concerted effort to finish the bridge improvement project as quickly as possible. “We are extremely pleased to open Route 23 (Valley Forge Road) ahead of schedule and restore through-travel on this key artery that moves 20,000 vehicles a day between Valley Forge and Phoenixville,” stated PennDOT District Executive, Kenneth M. McClain, in a press release.