PennDOT: Sewickley Bridge to be closed around-the-clock for 24 days
The Sewickley Bridge will be closed for 24 days for repairs starting next month, PennDOT announced Tuesday.
The around-the-clock closure of the bridge spanning the Ohio River between Route 51 in Moon and Route 65 in Sewickley is scheduled to run from July 17 through Aug. 10.
About 20,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily, PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said.
Details of the closure — including start and end times and detours — will be provided before the work starts, PennDOT said.
Cowan said the Neville Island bridge that carries Interstate 79 over the Ohio River will be part of the detour route.
Work also is planned this year on the Neville Island Bridge, but Cowan said, “No work in 2020 on the Neville Island Bridge will occur that will impact the detour route.”
PennDOT said the closure is intended to minimize traffic impacts, improve safety and take advantage of lower traffic volumes.
Ahead of the closure, traffic on the bridge will be reduced to a single, alternating lane as-needed between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. through mid-July as Swank Construction continues prep work on the $3.7 million project.
The preservation work includes a deck overlay, bearing and deck joint replacement and other work. The overall project is expected to be finished in late November.
Brian C. Rittmeyer, a Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com.
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