One Route 119 bridge project nears completion as another takes shape
Construction crews move dirt along Route 119 near the existing diamond configuration interchange with Route 819 in East Huntingdon Township, Westmoreland County, as the design phase for a $23 million bridge project gets under way.
Motorists travel across the Jacobs Creek/County Line Bridge in Lower Tyrone Township where replacement work is expected to be completed on the $16.5 million project by the end of the month.
Roberto M. Esquivel | Herald-Standard
Construction crews work on a section of the Jacobs Creek/County Line Bridge that carries Route 119 over Jacobs Creeek, Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad and the Coal & Coke Trail between Upper Tyrone Township and East Huntingdon Township, Westmoreland County. The $16.5 million project is nearing completion.
UPPER TYRONE TWP. — Construction crews are expected to wrap up a $16.5 million project to replace the Route 119 Jacobs Creek/County Line Bridge by the end of the month as the design phase for a new five-lane bridge estimated at $23.1 million at the nearby Scottdale interchange is under way.
Len Kubitza, assistant construction manager, and Bill Snyder, project engineer, both with the state Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 12, recently toured the project sites and reported on the progress.
Despite recent flooding in the area, Kubitza said the two separate projects are still running on schedule with minimal lane restrictions.
“The contractors worked very aggressively despite the amount of rain,” said Kubitza.
Snyder said this is the third construction season for the County Line Bridge project, with traffic traveling on the newly completed southbound side and restricted to a single lane in each direction.
“Everything is going great,” said Snyder.
The project is being completed by Swank Associated Companies of New Kensington and involves replacing the bridge that carries Route 119 over Jacobs Creek, Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad and the Coal & Coke Trail between Upper Tyrone Township, Fayette County, and East Huntingdon Township, Westmoreland County.
According to Kubitza, the project was broken down into two phases because the bridge is 10 spans long, with two abutments and nine piers.
“It’s quite a long bridge from underneath when building, which is why it is so time-consuming,” said Kubitza.
Kubitza added the bridge underwent restoration work over the last five years prior to being replaced.
At the Scottdale interchange, where a new five-lane bridge is being constructed on Route 819 over Route 119, crews are continuing with excavation and foundation work.
Currently, minor traffic shifts are in place at the existing diamond configuration interchange, with Route 819 passing over Route 119 on a narrow three-lane bridge.
Kubitza said the project was designed to improve traffic flow and capacity to prevent backups.
“This will be a smoother-flowing intersection, so the intersecting point will be away from the bridge and help alleviate traffic,” said Kubitza.
The project is being completed by Golden Triangle Construction Co. Inc. of Mount Pleasant. Work is expected to be completed in November 2015.
Kubitza said the new five-lane bridge is being constructed to carry the lanes across 119 slightly south of the existing bridge.
To improve the interchange efficiency, the southbound ramps of Route 119 will be reconfigured, along with the replacement of the structure carrying Route 819 over Sherrick Run.
New bridges also will be constructed carrying the reconfigured Route 119 southbound ramps over Sherrick Run and reconstructing the northbound ramps of Route 119, in addition to other miscellaneous construction.
Kubitza said construction crews are in the process of moving dirt and building retention ponds where northbound ramps of Route 119 will be lengthened.
Some of the dirt is also being put along the side of the ramps as a sound barrier.
Kubitza said the new bridge is similar to a bridge project recently completed in Smithton, where the northbound lanes will remain the same but receive new pavement and concrete.
Over the course of the project, traffic on Routes 819 and 119 will be maintained with minimal disruption, PennDOT said.
As the holidays approach, Kubitza said PennDOT will pay close attention making sure construction doesn’t interfere with increased traffic volume.