Final countdown toward bridge demolition
Today is the day that the Masontown Bridge joins the fishes in the Monongahela River.
The state Department of Transportation (PennDOT) said the bridge will be demolished sometime between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The bridge’s metal superstructure will be taken down, according to documents from Brayman Construction. Two weeks later, on Oct. 12, the concrete piers that supported the bridge’s superstructure will be demolished, according to company documents.
Valerie Petersen, PennDOT spokeswoman, said about 50 pounds of explosives will be used to destroy the bridge Saturday. Afterward, she said, the company will be using cranes mounted on barges to pull the debris from the river.
The company has begun informing interested and affected parties about its plans in the days leading up the demolition.
PennDOT officials said that during the demolition process, there will be a mandatory safety zone surrounding the area. Motorists, boaters and aircraft that traffic near the bridge will be restricted between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. today.
The plans said the new bridge and Route 21 on either side of the bridge will be closed during demolition but reopened afterward. PennDOT officials said motorists will be not be able to use that stretch of Route 21 until all of the debris can be cleared from the roadway.
Boaters will be restricted from 6 a.m. until 24 hours after the bridge is imploded so that debris can be removed, according to PennDOT. And this necessitates a 2,000-foot no-fly zone prior, during and after officials are assured that all of the charges have gone off.
The company will be checking the area surrounding the demolition work to see if there were any problems caused by the explosion.
A marked detour will be in place that uses Route 21, Route 88, Route 40 and Route 166. The Masontown Bridge carries Route 21 across the Monongahela River between Fayette and Greene counties. The roadway will be closed from the intersection of Route 21 and Church Road in Greene County to the intersection of Route 21 and River Avenue in Fayette County.
The old bridge will be replaced by a new four-lane bridge. Brayman Construction of Saxonburg is the general contractor for the $49.6 million project that began in 2011 and should be completed in two phases by late 2014, according to previous reports.
Motorists have been able to use the new bridge that links Fayette and Greene counties since August. The newly constructed bridge will be closed to traffic for one day.
The Masontown Bridge was built in 1925 and last repaired in 1992.