$5 million improvement project that will help preserve four bridges and provide motorists with a smoother ride on Route 290 (the Bayfront Connector) in Erie County is scheduled to begin next week.
The highway restoration project will improve a 3-mile-long section of Route 290 from McClelland Avenue in the City of Erie to Old Hannon Road, near the ramps for Interstate 90 in Harborcreek Township.
Work will involve milling and resurfacing, along with updated drainage, guiderail and pavement markings.
Resurfacing work will extend to include short sections of intersecting roads in the project area, including Station Road, Shannon Road, East 38th Street and McClelland Avenue.
The project will also include preservation work on four bridges. Work will involve application of an epoxy overlay to help preserve and waterproof the following bridges:
- The Wintergreen Gorge Bridge on Route 290 over Four Mile Creek in Harborcreek Township.
- The bridge on Route 290 over Broad Street in Erie.
- The bridge on Route 290 over the CSX and Norfolk Southern railroad tracks, south of East 12th Street in Erie.
- The bridge over Walnut Creek on Route 832 (Sterrettania Road) in Millcreek Township.
The project is scheduled to get underway on May 2, 2016, with major work beginning the week of May 9. The project is scheduled for completion by October 31, 2016.
Preservation work on the bridges is expected to begin later in the summer, and notification will be made when that portion of the project is scheduled to begin.
The contractor is the Joseph McCormick Construction Co., Inc. of Erie, PA. The contract cost is $5,264,034.01, which is to be paid entirely with federal funds.
No detours are anticipated — at least one traffic lane will be kept open in each direction throughout the project. Lane restrictions will be required, with traffic controlled by flaggers.
Motorists should anticipate congestion and delays, particularly during times of the day when traffic is heavy.
PennDOT urges motorists to slow down when driving in work zones, and also to be alert to changing conditions, avoid distractions and to pay attention to signs and flaggers. Drive responsibly in work zones for your safety and the safety of the workers.
Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 770 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.
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