Work is advancing well on two PennDOT bridge projects in Venango County.
The bridges in Wyattville and Sugarcreek are both targeted to finish on schedule, said PennDOT press officer Jim Carroll.
About 600 feet of roadway is being reconstructed on the Wyattville project, and work is also being done on the bridge beams, Carroll said.
“The approaches and parapets are being repaired now,” said Carroll. Parapets are the cement sides of the bridge, Carroll explained.
The caps on the bridge are also being modified, PennDOT said in an earlier release.
PennDOT had previously said about 4,000 vehicles a day use the bridge. Traffic is being detoured using Utica and Buttermilk Hill roads and Sugarcreek Drive.
PennDOT had set an initial target date of late September to finish the project, and Carroll said that is still the anticipated time frame.
Mekis Construction Corp. of Fenelton is the contractor for the $3.7 million project.
Meanwhile, the Sugarcreek bridge work is on pace to be completed by early November.
The single-lane steel truss bridge over Sugar Creek has been closed since June 27 for a complete renovation.
The project includes dismantling the bridge to be cleaned and preserved, followed by reassembly. The dismantling was planned to happen with the assistance of a crane, but the option was not viable due to the ground surrounding the bridge.
“After we determined that we would not be able to use the crane to lift the bridge, the only other option was to dismantle it in place,” said Carroll.
The process of dismantling took about a week, and the historically significant pieces were shipped to Pittsburgh Monday morning to be sandblasted. The sandblasting should take about a week, said Carroll.
After the sandblasting, the pieces will be inspected to determine if repairs are needed.
“That would mean some welding,” said Carroll. The project engineers will decide what pieces, if any, need repairs.
The bridge will be galvanized following any needed repairs and sent back to Sugarcreek.
The $1.5 million project is being completed by Allison Park Contractors Inc. of Gibsonia.
Detours are marked using Route 322 to Sugarcreek Drive, which is also part of the Wyattville detour.
