Work begins on bridge
Traffic patterns will start changing on the Speers/Belle Vernon Bridge that carries Interstate 70 across the Monongahela River between Washington and Westmoreland counties as a bridge preservation project gets into full swing, the state Department of Transportation announced.
Nighttime single-lane restrictions will be in place from Aug. 31 through Sept. 4 between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. The eastbound and westbound right-hand travel lanes will be closed as needed.
This is the beginning of work on the bridge, which carries I-70 over the Monongahela River, Route 88 and Route 906, two railroads, and local streets.
The bridge work includes full painting, steel truss repair, substructure repair and an epoxy deck overlay. In addition, there will be concrete pavement patching and rock slope repair for approximately a half-mile on both approaches to the bridge.
This project will be done mostly this year and in 2016, with some minor work finishing in early 2017.
There will be single-lane restrictions at times during the project. The contractor on this $20 million project is Titan Industrial Services.