CLEARFIELD – Drivers will encounter traffic stops Wednesday, Sept. 28 as beam placement work takes place on a Route 879 bridge job in Goshen Township, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).
The bridge is being replaced in a staged configuration, with all traffic currently using the eastbound lane in an alternating pattern enforced by temporary traffic signals.
New westbound beams will be placed on Wednesday and flaggers will be stopping traffic during that work.
Drivers can expect delays of up to 15 minutes as beams are delivered and placed. While work is not expected to extend past Wednesday, it is possible that crews will be setting beams on Thursday.
The bridge spans Trout Run, in the village of Shawville and carries an average of 1,800 vehicles each day. Replacing the bridge will remove it from Clearfield County’s structurally deficient list.
A temporary truck pull off remains in place at the top of the hill on Route 879, north of the project. Trucks over 10,000 pounds will be required to use the pull off. A temporary traffic signal also remains in place on Trout Run Road to direct drivers onto Route 879.
Overall work includes removal of the current bridge, construction of the new bridge, 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 move through work zones with caution, 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.
Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/511PAStateCOLL.