No Detour to be Required for Hunter Station Bridge Project in Forest County

| July 15, 2017


TIONESTA TWP., Pa. – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced that a detour is no longer expected to be required for the $23.7 million Hunter Station Bridge replacement project in Forest County.

A detour was initially planned for the project, which is replacing the existing 1,051-foot-long bridge on Route 62 over the Allegheny River in Tionesta Township, but an alternative construction plan and schedule proposed by the contractor and approved by PennDOT will eliminate the need for that detour, without adding any additional costs to the project.

“We are very pleased to be able to deliver this project without the burden that a long detour would place on motorists, residents and businesses in the Tionesta area,” said William G. Petit, district executive of the PennDOT’s northwest region.

The revised plans called for half-width construction of the roadway approaches to the bridge. That will allow one lane to remain open to traffic and eliminate the need for a detour.

While the revised construction plan will allow Route 62 to be kept open, it requires the use of temporary traffic signals, which could create short-term delays for motorists.

The project involves construction of a new 1,124-foot-long, four-span continuous composite steel plate girder bridge about 100-feet upstream from the existing Hunter Station Bridge. Work includes new concrete and asphalt roadway approaches and updated drainage, guiderail, landscaping and pavement markings, along with other miscellaneous work.

The detour route for the project was more than 40 miles long, and eliminating that detour represents a significant savings in time and expense to the traveling public and to commerce delivery.

The savings to motorists would be in addition to the beneficial impact that eliminating the detour is expected to have on businesses in the project area, including the Hunters Station Golf Course directly adjacent to the project and the Tionesta community.

Work on the bridge replacement project started September 12, 2016 and the project is expected to be completed by March 28, 2018.

The contractor is the Mekis Construction Corporation of Fenelton, PA. The contract cost is $23,774,703.87, which is being paid entirely with federal funds.

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.

For more information on projects occurring or being bid this year, those made possible by or accelerated by the state transportation funding plan (Act 89), or those on the department’s Four and Twelve Year Plans, visit www.projects.penndot.gov<https://www.projects.penndot.gov.

Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com<https://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 825 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.

Follow local PennDOT information on Twitter at www.twitter.com/511PAErie<https://www.twitter.com/511PAErie.


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Category: Local News, News