Port Allegany, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is issuing an update on the progress of a bridge replacement project on Route 155 in Liberty Township, McKean County. The bridge spans Birch Run approximately two miles southeast of Turtlepoint. Replacing the bridge will allow PennDOT to remove it from McKean County’s list of bridges in poor condition.
Temporary signals have been installed and are currently operating in flash mode. They will be fully operational Monday, June 17, at which time they will enforce an alternating traffic pattern as the bridge is replaced in a half-width configuration. Under the alternating pattern, the northbound lane will be closed, and drivers will take turns crossing the bridge in the open southbound lane. There is a 12-foot lane restriction in place for the open lane. PennDOT will issue an update as work progresses and the traffic pattern changes.
The existing 17-foot bridge was built in 1924 and carries an average of nearly 3,000 vehicles per day. The overall project will replace the existing structure with a precast box culvert, widen the roadway, improve drainage, replace guiderail and install new signage.
Francis J. Palo, Inc. of Clarion is the contractor on this $796,000 job. PennDOT expects to complete the project by late August. All work is weather and schedule dependent.
PennDOT reminds drivers to be cautious in work zones, obey posted speed limits, and always buckle up.
PennDOT encourages drivers to “Know before they go” and to check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA is free, available 24 hours a day, and provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 950 traffic cameras.
511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.
Subscribe to PennDOT news in Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Juniata, McKean, Mifflin, and Potter counties at www.penndot.gov/District2. For regional updates on Twitter, follow www.twitter.com511PAStateCOLL