Timeline for Kittanning Citizens Bridge Updated

By Jonathan Weaver
Grey tarps still cover the south side of the Kittanning Citizens Bridge weeks after the PennDOT District 10 office originally planned to close the other lane.

Since March, Advanced Painting Systems, Inc. employees have been rehabbing the bridge carrying Route 1038 (Butler Road) over the Allegheny River – including painting, structure and dam repairs, as well as approach work. Employees are currently applying the finish coat of paint on the span on the Applewold-side and the main truss center span, with that work being weather-dependent.

Project Manager Nate Adams said touch-up work is being completed under the tarps as well as site clean-up this week to prepare for a lane switch to paint the other half of the bridge.

“We’re hoping to switch to Phase II on the other side of the bridge next week so we can start on the other half,” Adams said. “We’re a little bit behind our original schedule due to weather and we are trying to figure out the best way to get caught up.”

Adams couldn’t predict whether traffic will be shifted early next week or close to August 29 or 30th.

PennDOT officials originally planned for motorists to experience a lane shift at the end of July – with traffic patterns remaining the same. Construction was not done during the Fort Armstrong Folk Festival, but employees have been seen working into the evening on several occasions since to try and make up for time lost due to weather.

Adams said contractors are currently requesting a time extension “for various reasons.”

“By our PennDOT specifications, they have until the end of October. But, it’s not like November 1, the weather changes so we try to get stuff done in one year instead of holding it over until Spring,” Adams said. “There’s a lot of work left to get done, and if the weather continues as it has with rain, it will be difficult.

“They’re doing everything they can to make sure it’s completed.”
Deck overlay work is to be performed in the Spring of 2015 under flagging operations. The $4.7 million bridge project is expected to be completed shortly after the overlay work.

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