Lane closures, detours planned for emergency bridge repair at Route 51/I-70 interchange in Rostraver

Emergency repairs to Route 51 in Rostraver will get underway next week after an over-height vehicle struck a bridge that carries traffic over Interstate 70, according to PennDOT.

The project will result in lane closures on Route 51 and Interstate 70, as well as detours for traffic traveling between the two highways. Crews will be installing a temporary support beam on the bridge deck and repairing a bridge beam. A cost estimate was not available Thursday.

The incident happened in December. One lane of Route 51 south has been closed as a precaution since then.

The following changes in traffic patterns will start Monday to accommodate the repairs:

• Single-lane closures and intermittent stoppages of 15 minutes or less between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Route 51 south. Those will end Friday.

• Closure of the ramp connecting I-70 west and Route 51 south. The posted detour takes drivers 2 miles past the interchange to the Arnold City exit and left onto Indian Hill Road, then eastbound on the interstate and back to the Route 51 interchange. That will end Friday.

• One lane will be closed as needed in each direction on I-70 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. During the eastbound lane closures, the ramp from southbound Route 51 to eastbound I-70 also will be closed. That will continue through early March. Traffic will be diverted onto I-70 west and follow the same Arnold City exit detour.

The agency plans to announce at a later date long-term lane closures and a complete shutdown of westbound I-70 that will take place in March. All of the restrictions are weather-dependent.

Most of the work, being handled by Amelie Construction, is expected to wrap up by late March. That section of Route 51 is traveled by about 15,000 to 17,000 motorists daily. I-70 in that area sees traffic of 32,000 to 44,000 vehicles daily, according to PennDOT traffic volume maps.

The interchange is slated for improvements and reconstruction including wider roads, reconfigured intersections and better ramps to and from I-70, as well as the addition of a divergent diamond interchange. The multimillion-dollar work includes the replacement of the Route 51 bridge that was damaged.

Construction is expected to start this year.