Jan 9, 2026 By Garrett Neese 4 min read

State and local officials were on hand for a groundbreaking ceremony in Perry Township Thursday to mark the start of construction on the replacement of the 127-year-old Layton Bridge.

“PennDOT is about to invest $56 million to replace this bridge here in Layton, and that represents progress for this community and for this region,” said Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll.

The new bridge will be about 200 feet southeast of the current one, built in 1899 to carry railroad traffic across the Youghiogheny River. The Layton Bridge was recognized as a landmark, being added to the National Register of Historic Places. But aging and corrosion have led to frequent closures for repairs over the past several years.

Before announcing in 2021 the bridge would be replaced, PennDOT had looked at options for preserving it or finding a private buyer or nonprofit who could relocate it elsewhere. Those options had been unsuccessful. And estimates put the cost of restoring the bridge well into eight figures.

“I, for one, wish projects like this could be delivered faster, and I know others do too, but here we are today to celebrate forward progress and the replacement of this bridge,” Carroll said. “We are going to do this bridge the right way, in a way that’s respectful of the community, that’s respectful of the environment, and meets the transportation needs of this region of our state, and I appreciate the patience of the residents of this region for what they have endured in the lead-up to the announcement today.”

The new bridge will have two lanes, unlike the single-lane bridge it replaces. And it will also be able to hold more weight than the current bridge’s 10-ton limit.

Those limitations could pose problems now when there is a need to get an emergency apparatus across the bridge to Layton, where there is no public water, said Perry Township Supervisor A.J. Boni. The frequent closures for inspections can also affect school buses, which have to add another 12 miles onto their trip.

The township has been working with PennDOT for nearly 20 years to get the bridge replaced, Boni said. When that day comes, he said, it’ll be “tremendous.”

“Two-lane bridge, no more tunnel, so you won’t have that bottleneck. It’ll be a great day,” he said. “In two, three years, when it’s completed, it’ll really be an asset to the community.”

Construction work at the historic site had been delayed so studies could determine if the work would adversely impact the nearby bat population.

The project will also reroute Layton Road to the new bridge. The new segment will be built just south of the existing road so traffic can continue using the old bridge and tunnel during most of the construction. Once the work is complete, the Layton Tunnel will be closed and sealed.

Work will also include replacing the Washington Run bridge near Falbo Road with a new two-lane bridge. The Washington Run bridge near Strawn Road will receive new pavement, concrete repairs and updated guide rail.

Any closures on the adjacent Great Allegheny Passage Trail will be posted in advance, and shuttle services will be provided between the east and west ends of the trail, said Josh Kisling, a consultant with construction firm HDR.

“We’ve invested a lot of money into repairs through the years to make sure that this bridge is open,” Duda said. “There will be times when we have to do inspection, there will be times when we have to construct some of the other bridges that the road will have to be shut down, but we have done our best since the inception of this project to keep this bridge and this road open as much as possible.”

Duda anticipated the project would take three years to complete, opening sometime in 2028.