TIONESTA, Pa. – The community is invited to view plans for the replacement of a Forest County bridge included in the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) Rapid Bridge Replacement Project.

Outlined below are details of the plans display and bridge being replaced.

Bridge:         Route 62 (Elm Street) bridge, spanning Tubbs Run in Tionesta Township (JV-9)

Location:     Tionesta State Fish Hatchery Visitor Center, 172 Hatchery Lane, Tionesta, PA 16353

When:          Wednesday, January 11 through Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Visitor Center Hours are daily from 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Federal and state laws, including Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966, govern the use of publicly owned parks and recreation areas as impacted by construction projects. The improvements to JV-9 will result in temporary occupation and permanent use of Pennsylvania Fish and Boat (PFBC) property. The PFBC property has access points to the Allegheny River for fishing and boating. Because it appears that this will not adversely affect the activities, features, and attributes that qualify the property for protection under Section 4(f) guidelines, a de minimis Section 4(f) will be prepared for this as well. The PA Fish and Boat Commission, which holds jurisdiction over the properties, is also being consulted.

A letter announcing the start of construction will be mailed out two weeks in advance to all project stakeholders. You will be given the opportunity to sign up as a project stakeholder at the plans display locations.

This bridge is referred to as JV-9 and is one out of the 558 bridges being replaced under the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project. JV references the joint-venture partnership between Walsh/Granite, which is leading construction for the entire project.

The bridge replacement is part of the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project, a public-private partnership (P3) between PennDOT and Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners (PWKP), under which PWKP will finance, design, replace and maintain the bridges for 25 years. The P3 approach allows PennDOT to replace the bridges more quickly, while achieving significant savings and minimizing impact on motorists.

To view the bridges included in the statewide initiative and to learn more about the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project and P3 in Pennsylvania, visit www.p3forpa.pa.gov. Additional information on the project, the team and how to bid on the project can be found at www.parapidbridges.com.

The facility is ADA accessible; however, requests for special needs or accommodations to facilitate public participation should be directed to McKenzi Loid at 412-475-5164.

To see the bridges included in the statewide initiative and to learn more about the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project and P3 in Pennsylvania, visit www.P3forPA.pa.gov. Additional information on the project, the team and how to bid on the project can be found at www.PARapidBridges.com.