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Oakland Cemetery Bridge On-Schedule for Reconstruction Next Year

PennDOT District 10 personnel are putting the finishing touches on construction plans for the Oakland Cemetery Bridge that connects Manor Township and Bethel Township via State Route 66 before the project goes out for bid at the end of this year.

by Jonathan Weaver

A bridge that carries more than 6,000 Route 66 motorists over Crooked Creek daily will go out for bid late this Fall.

The Oakland Cemetery bridge – which connects Manor Township and Bethel Township – is scheduled for construction in April 2017, PennDOT District 10 Project Manager Ray Smith said during a public plans display last week.

Smith said District 10 personnel have been working on the Oakland Cemetery bridge for close to a year.

“The deck is deteriorating,” Smith said.

District 10 personnel hopes for the bridge to be complete by September/October of next year, but private contractors will not bid on the job until November/December.

“It varies (how many contractors will bid on the project),” Smith said. “There can be a few (or) there can be many that bid on it.”

An individual schedule to break down Phase 1 and Phase II has also not been decided.

A few homeowners in the direct vicinity of the bridge will receive temporary driveways during the project, but all motorists should prepare for the project.

“Most of the project will be controlled by temporary signals. To finish the deck, we’ll have about a 7-10 day detour,” Smith said.

The bridge reconstruction is expected to cost $4-7 million.

Local News | jweaver May 25, 2016