Photo by Alice Crow
The Thornburg Bridge is without lane closures in early August but construction is currently happening on the underside of the bridge.-INFRASTRUCTURE-
By Alice Crow
As summer – a prevalent time for road construction in the region – comes to a close, some popular bridges are still under construction, while promised work on others has yet to begin.
McKees Rocks Bridge
Latest projections have the McKees Rocks Bridge preservation project set to begin in earnest in early September, with one-lane closures starting as soon as Aug. 22 for project prep work.
The project should include repairs to sidewalks, structural steel and strip seals; spot painting, minor deck spall repairs and epoxy deck overlay will also be addressed. To do this work, lane restrictions to one in either direction will occur on the bridge and a detour of 5.6 miles will be implemented during certain phases of construction.
The project is anticipated to take 16 months and is currently set to end in the Fall of 2023.
Steubenville Pike
Single-lane restrictions of Steubenville Pike began on Aug. 8. The restrictions are to allow waterline replacement and asphalt restoration work, which is being conducted by Jet Jack, Inc.
The restrictions will occur on weekdays between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the intersection with Beaver Grade Road. This is projected is expected to last through late August.
Rosslyn Farms
Originally set to begin on Aug. 11, the closure of the I-376 Parkway West Bridge ramp to the Parkway West in Rosslyn Farms was delayed to Aug. 19.
According to an announcement by Rep. Anita Kulik, periodic closures of the Parkway will allow for the work on the Rosslyn Farms bridge to be completed.
“That bridge has been closed for some time, due to damage. They are finally ready to get the work done, so there will be periodic closures of the Parkway. As of now, this should only occur overnight,” Kulik shared on Facebook. Damage to the Rossyln Bridge occurred in February when a truck crashed into its support structure. More information on when night closures will occur is still to be announced.
Thornburg Bridge
The preservation project on the Thornburg bridge began in June and is expected to be completed in the Summer of 2023.
Starting at Cornell Avenue and ending at Woodmere Drive, the project is set to repave the road, repair the bridge deck and make alterations to the substructure, drainage and roadway approach.
New guide rails, traffic signals and ADA curb ramps will also be installed before the completion of the project. Currently, construction seems to be primarily taking place on the underside of the bridge. The bridge is set to have four-weekend closures during the Fall of 2022 when vehicles will be directed to take an 11-12 mile detour on I-376 and I-79. Otherwise, lane closures are possible during construction.
Neville Island
The I-79 preservation project for the Neville Island bridge began in August 2020 and is set to include structural steel repairs, full structure painting, bearing and deck joint replacements, deck repairs and overlays, bridge barrier repairs, substructure concrete work and drainage improvements, according to PennDOT. The project will also include concrete roadway reconstruction, guide rail replacement and preservation work on four sign structures.
Additionally, this project includes preservation work on the I-79 bridge over Deer Run Road in Glenfield.
Progress on the project was last updated in July when PennDOT announced the first of the four southbound weekend closures to occur in 2022. During these closures, motorists can expect to see ramp closures, as well as single-lane and shoulder closures in each direction. Full closures of the bridge may occur at night past 9 p.m. and all traffic will be detoured.
The preservation project is projected to be completed in the Summer of 2023.