CLEARFIELD – Bridge replacement work on Route 879 in Goshen Township, Clearfield County, is continuing and will enter a new phase late this month, as a detour around the project goes into effect.
The bridge spans Trout Run, in the village of Shawville. Replacing the bridge will remove it from Clearfield County’s structurally deficient list and provide area drivers with a new, modern structure.
Starting Friday, April 29, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) will implement a short-term detour so that demolition of the eastbound lane of the existing bridge can be demolished.
The detour will be in place from 9 p.m. April 29 through 5 a.m., May 2. The detour will direct drivers to use Route 879, Interstate 80 (Clearfield to Kylertown), and Route 1011 (Rolling Stone Road).
Once demolition is complete, traffic will move across the structure in the westbound lane while the eastbound lane of the bridge is re-built. Temporary traffic signals have been in place since early April to enforce an alternating traffic pattern across the bridge. The bridge carries an average of 1,800 vehicles each day.
A temporary truck pull off has also been installed at the top of the hill from the Trout Run structure on the westbound lane. Trucks over 10,000 pounds are required to use the pull off.
Work will be done in staged phases and includes the removal and replacement of the current bridge, new concrete decking, paving, guide rail installation, and miscellaneous items.
PennDOT expects the new bridge to be complete by March of 2017, with the traffic restriction in place through October of this year.
All work is weather and schedule dependent. Francis J. Palo Inc. of Clarion is the contractor on this $2.5 million project.
Drivers are reminded to follow official detour signs, obey posted speed limits, and always buckle up.
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 Web site.
For PennDOT regional updates on Twitter, follow www.twitter.com/511PAStateCOLL.
