State Bridge Replacement Projects to Start this Summer

by Jonathan Weaver

 

Nearly a dozen Armstrong County bridge construction projects will begin this summer.

All owned by PennDOT, the 10 bridges will affect state highways in nine local municipalities. The list of where those bridges include:

- Bridges along Route 3017 (Freeport Road) in East Franklin Township and North Buffalo Township

- Along Route 3013 (Nicola Road) and State Route 3009 (Claypoole Road) in West Franklin Township

- Along Route 2057 (Airport Road) in Parks Township

- Along Route 2047 (Edmon Road) and Route 66 (River Road) in Kiskiminetas Township

- Along Route 2005 (Cherry Run Road) in Burrell Township

- Along Route 2001 (Water Street) in Rural Valley Borough

- Route 1039 (Washington Avenue) in Cowanshannock Township

- Route 839 (Dayton Boro Road) in Wayne Township

According to PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch, PennDOT has finalized all terms for the department’s $899 million Rapid Bridge Replacement Project, clearing the way for construction to begin this summer on the project to 558 bridges across the state.

“We have a signed contract completed, and the Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners team has already begun preparing for construction of these bridges,” Schoch said. “This is an important milestone in the state’s most ambitious public-private partnership initiative to date.”

PennDOT officials selected Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners and a team of 11 Pennsylvania-based subcontractors – including the locally oft-used Francis J. Palo Inc. of Clarion, and J.F. Shea Construction, Swank Construction and TRC Engineers, Inc. – all based in Westmoreland County – in October to lead the project.

The team will manage the bridges’ design, construction and maintenance for 25 years after construction under the public-private partnership (P3) contract. It will also be responsible for securing the capital necessary to begin construction in the next few months.

In August, District 10 Project Manager Dave Layman said that the Nicola Bridge widening in West Franklin Township will begin in April.

He said crews are also projected to work on the Center Hill Bridge replacement in North Buffalo Township for up to 10 weeks - beginning this June up until the middle of August. Unlike the Nicola Bridge project, the Center Hill Bridge replacement will require a seven-mile detour utilizing State Route 3007 along Route 422 and Freeport Road (Old State Route 28) – roughly an extra 10-15 minute commute.

All of the local bridges to be replaced are at least 45 years old - built between 1922 and 1970

 

The P3 approach will allow PennDOT to replace structurally-deficient bridges quicker by allowing future funding at current costs instead of several years or even decades in the future, allowing State officials to use the savings for other infrastructure needs and minimize motorist detours as much as possible.

Nearly 60 bridges are to even be completed this summer. That might include four in Armstrong.

All 558 bridges must be replaced before 2018.

The average project cost per bridge for design, construction and maintenance is $1.6 million.

According to PennDOT, roughly 18 percent of Pennsylvania’s bridges are structurally deficient while the national average is 7.3 percent, and unless replaced, these bridges will ultimately have to be closed. This project includes 558 of the roughly 4,200 structurally deficient bridges in Pennsylvania that are in need of replacement or repair