PENNDOT FINISHES $23.1 MILLION ROUTE 8 BUTLER MAIN STREET VIADUCT
INDIANA, PA - PennDOT Engineering District 10, along with State and local officials, cut the ribbon today for the $23.1 million Route 8 Butler Main Street Viaduct in Butler City, Butler County.
"This bridge represents a new gateway to Butler City," said Joseph P. Dubovi III, P.E., District Executive for PennDOT District 10. "This new bridge is evidence that strong relationships, good planning and dedication bring great things. Today, Butler County has been rewarded with a new state-of-the-art bridge that will meet Butler's modern transportation needs and will spark economic development in the area."
The new structure consists of four lanes, two in each direction separated by a concrete median barrier, and replaces an 87-year-old structure. The new eight-span bridge is 3,500 feet in length and is constructed of almost 3,650 tons of steel and 11,000 cubic yards of concrete.
Located south of the former Main Street Viaduct, the new structure contains several special features, including ornamental lighting, a vintage pedestrian railing and textured concrete surfaces for abutments and retaining walls. A sidewalk runs along the east side of the bridge, and 56 new lighted parking spaces are located beneath it.
The replacement project included improvements to the former intersection of Route 8 and Brugh Avenue, Morton Avenue and South Main Street at the southern end of the bridge. The existing roadway between this intersection and the new bridge alignment has been rehabilitated and re-striped as a two-way road with a continuous center lane for left turns onto Pittsburgh Pike, Coal Street and Roosevelt Boulevard.
Construction on the project has been completed by Joseph B. Fay Company of Pittsburgh, Pa.
The previous Butler Main Street Viaduct, constructed in 1917, was rehabilitated in 1950, and the groundbreaking for the new bridge was held on June 8, 2004. Traffic was maintained during construction using the old bridge and then, in 2005, with a short detour of about 15 weeks from Route 8 through Lyndora on Hansen Avenue to Route 356 back to Butler City. After the detour, the northbound lanes of the new bridge were utilized for two-way traffic while the remaining two lanes were constructed.
The new bridge will retain the name of the General Richard Butler Bridge. General Butler served with George Washington in the Revolutionary War at Valley Forge and was involved in the battles of Saratoga, Yorktown and Monmouth. Butler was killed November 4, 1791, during the Battle of Wabash, which took place in Ohio on the banks of the Wabash River. |