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PennDOT announces schedule for bridgework
WAYNESBURG - Warmer weather will bring cookouts, baseball and plenty of construction on Greene County roads in the next few months.
The state Department of Transportation has placed an emphasis on bridges, and at least eight spans throughout the county will be replaced this summer. Construction crews also will resurface portions of Interstate 79 and Route 21 and make any repairs that become necessary because of mining activity near the Kirby exit of I-79.
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Stimulus money has been earmarked to rehabilitate three more bridges that are in addition to the spans already scheduled for replacement this year. The bridges have all been determined to be structurally deficient.
Pennsylvania leads the nation with the number of structurally deficient bridges, so PennDOT has been focusing on replacing the aging structures statewide for the past few years.
The largest bridge project is the replacement of the 80-year-old Point Marion Bridge on Route 88. Construction started more than a year ago and will continue through the summer. The $20.97 million project should be complete by fall.
Another major bridge project is the $9.36 million replacement of the Ten Mile Creek bridge on Route 88, between Jefferson Township, Greene County, and East Bethlehem Township, Washington County. Traffic was restricted to one lane last week, and the restrictions will continue indefinitely. Work should be finished by December 2010.
Other bridge replacement projects include:
n The Jefferson Road bridge, located behind the Greene County Fairgrounds on Route 188, Franklin Township. Work has already begun, and it should have minimal impact on traffic. The 89-year old span is restricted to one lane, and it has been listed to be replaced for the past decade. Contractors should complete the $3 million project by October.
n Children's Home bridge, located near the former State Correctional Institution at Waynesburg in Morgan Township. The span on Route 188 will be closed while crews replace the structure, and traffic will be detoured around the area. A start date for the $1 million project has not been determined, but it should be finished by September.
n Eastview bridge on Route 18 in Franklin Township. Crews will begin replacing the span that carries traffic over the South Fork of Ten Mile Creek soon, and the $1.88 million project should be complete by late December.
n Dry Tavern bridge on Route 88 in Jefferson Township. Contractors will begin replacing the bridge over Pumpkin Run soon, and the $1 million project should be complete by September.
n Rudolph Run bridge on Rudolph Run Road in Wayne and Perry townships. The $800,000 project should be finished by November, but contractors have not yet started the work.
The three bridges that should be funded through the stimulus package are Brown's Creek bridge on Route 18 in Franklin Township, Garners Run bridge on Route 18 in Washington Township and a bridge over a branch of Brown's Creek in Morris Township.
Traffic on I-79 may be restricted to one lane as crews resurface the road and repair damage due to mining activity in Whiteley Township. Work should be completed next month.
Route 21 from the Paisley intersection to Hatfield Ferry Power Plant in Monongahela Township will be resurfaced with new guardrails, curbing and drainage system. The $3.7 million project should be completed by October.
