Bridge to be replaced as part of Public-Private Partnership
MORRIS TOWNSHIP – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) Rapid Bridge Replacement Project begins in Clearfield County in June with the reconstruction of a bridge in Morris Township.
Replacing the bridge will provide motorists with a new, modern structure and allow PennDOT to remove the bridge from Clearfield County’s structurally deficient list.
The Route 53 (Morrisdale Allport Highway) bridge (JV036) spans Emigh Run near the village of Morrisdale. It is scheduled to close the week of June 13 and a detour will be in place.
Traffic will be detoured using Route 53, Interstate 80, Route 970 and U.S. Route 322. The detour will be in place approximately two weeks, after which only shoulder closures will be needed to complete the remaining work. Signage is in place to alert motorists to the upcoming closure and detour.
Final completion of the bridge is scheduled for mid-July. The 24-foot bridge dates from 1958 and carries an average of more than 5,400 vehicles each day.
This 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 will allow PennDOT to replace the bridges more quickly while achieving significant savings and minimizing impact on motorists.
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.