Route 50 bridge in Bridgeville to temporarily close this weekend
The frequently knotty traffic around Millers Run Road and Route 50 at the entrance to Bridgeville is bound to get even knottier starting Thursday.
That’s when the Route 50 bridge over Chartiers Creek will be closing so one half of the span can be demolished and replaced. Bridgeville police chief Chad King in a Facebook post said “the festivities” will begin Thursday at 7 a.m., when traffic signals will be removed from the intersection of Route 50 and Chartiers and Church streets. Lane restrictions on the bridge will begin at 6 p.m., and the bridge will close at 9 p.m.
It is scheduled to reopen Monday at 5 a.m. However, it is set to close again on Thursday, April 20, at 9 p.m. and reopen Monday, April 24, at 5 a.m. The work is being done to expand the bridge to seven lanes as part of a $10.7 million improvement plan.
Also, Chartiers Street between Route 50 and Dewey Avenue and Church Street at Route 50 will be closed for the entire weekend, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). Traffic on Chartiers Street will be detoured via Route 50, Station Street, Dewey Avenue and Bank Street. Church Street traffic will be detoured via Station and Chess streets.
Detours will be posted. West of the bridge – the South Fayette Township side – drivers can take Millers Run Road westbound, get on the ramp to northbound I-79, get off at the Heidelberg/Collier (Exit 55) off-ramp and follow Route 50.
East of the bridge, travelers should follow Route 50 eastbound and turn left onto the ramp toward I-79 Erie/Washington. Take the I-79 South ramp toward Washington. From southbound I-79, take the Route 50 Bridgeville (Exit 54) off-ramp, turn right onto Millers Run Road and follow Washington Pike. A pedestrian shuttle will be available from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, with stops at the intersection of Route 50 and James Street in Bridgeville and the intersection of Route 50 and Millers Run Road, with pickups every 30 minutes.
Bridgeville police are asking spectators to stay away from the area for safety reasons. PennDOT will have time-lapse cameras at the site.
Police will be directing traffic at various intersections between Millers Run Road in South Fayette and the I-79 ramp in Collier Township.
King said in the Facebook post, “We will keeping things moving as best we can given the circumstances. … Please be patient, and if that’s not in your wheelhouse, maybe find another route for the rest of April.”