Downingtown Bridge Named For Former Boro Council President

DOWNINGTOWN, PA — Bill Mason secured funds to replace the Chestnut Street Bridge in Downingtown when he was borough council president; now the bridge has his name.

The Borough of Downingtown celebrated the reopening of the former Chestnut Street Bridge by renaming the bridge in honor of the local community leader.

Downingtown Mayor Phil Dague presided over a small ceremony renaming the bridge. Dague told the assembled group of well-wishers, "Downingtown is a great community, and that did not happen by accident. It happened because, throughout our history, there have been good people that have cared and cared enough to do the work necessary. There is no better example of such a person than Bill Mason."

Mason is a lifetime resident of Downingtown. He has volunteered for 65 years in a variety of community activities and served as Downingtown Borough Council President in the 1990s when he first secured funding to replace the Chestnut Street Bridge. Mason had originally secured a spot for the bridge on the Penn DOT 12-year plan and a funding schedule.

The bridge has been closed for about two years while the new bridge's construction took place, culminating in 25-year advocacy for the project by Mason.

Mason said, "The renaming of the bridge is the greatest honor of my lifetime."

Make sure you know what's happening in your town. Sign up to get Patch emails and don't miss any local news: https://patch.com/subscribe.