Motorists should expect delays
Bolivar, PA (Nov. 8) – PennDOT Engineering District 10 is advising motorists to expect delays on Route 259 next Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2005, as the final five bridge beams are delivered to the Bolivar Bridge replacement project construction site in Bolivar, Indiana County.
The 107-foot long, 62-ton concrete beams will be delivered to the site where they will be placed to construct the new bridge. Motorists are advised to use caution and expect possible delays when traveling through the area.
Traffic is being maintained at all times utilizing the existing Bolivar Bridge. The existing bridge will be demolished following completion of the reconstruction. Traffic along Route 259/Front Street will be restricted to alternating one-way traffic utilizing temporary traffic signals during various phases of construction.
The $4.8 million project is 46% complete. The prime contractor for the project is the J.F. Shea Construction Company of Mount Pleasant, PA.
The existing Bolivar Bridge, constructed in 1937, is a 310-foot riveted Warren Truss spanning the Conemaugh River. The new bridge is being constructed approximately 1,000 feet upstream of the existing structure with a new alignment of Route 259 at Front Street in Robinson.
The new structure is a 4-span, precast concrete girder structure 430 feet in length. The increased length is required to span the flood plain and to minimize impacts to the 100-year flood elevation. Two piers will be located within the normal stream flow area with a third pier located within the floodplain along the southern bank.
The new bridge will carry two 12-foot lanes with 8-foot shoulders. A 5-foot sidewalk with a pedestrian railing will be built on the western (downstream) side of the bridge. Roadway work will include realignment and reconstruction of approximately 1,300 feet of roadway from the southern bridge abutment to the existing railroad underpass near the existing bridge structure. A portion of Front Street in Bolivar will be reconstructed at the bridge approach and the remainder of Front Street (between the bridges) will be repaved following construction.
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