Jan 10, 2024 By Mike Jones 4 min read

Connellsville is now a “city divided.”

The Crawford Avenue Bridge that carries Route 711 over the Youghiogheny River closed to traffic Tuesday morning as part of a yearlong reconstruction project to rebuild the span connecting the eastern and western sides of Connellsville.

Construction was expected to begin today on the $11.5 million project that will keep the bridge closed until at least mid-December. That will push traffic onto Route 119 to get across the Yough River and to the other side of town.

“It’s going to be a long year,” Connellsville Mayor Greg Lincoln said.

The 65-year-old bridge, which was considered to be in “poor” condition, will have its deck replaced with four-foot-tall walls installed on either side with “slats” allowing travelers to view the river as they pass over. The rehabilitated bridge will have a shared pedestrian and bicycle path to offer a safer traveling lane for walkers and bikers.

Lincoln said the state Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the project, has been in constant communication with city officials and local businesses in an effort to make disruptions from the closure as minimal as possible. Lincoln said their main focus has been alleviating concerns from the small business owners in town and getting information out to the public on the available detour while encouraging residents and tourists to shop locally despite the inconvenience for motorists.

“Small business owners will feel the burn during this closure, so we’re going to do the best for our city to push people to go out to the shops and support our business owners during this year,” Lincoln said. “It’s kind of like what we needed to do during COVID to make sure we supported our businesses. Every time something like this happens, the city pulls together to get through it, so I’m confident.”

Fire trucks from the New Haven Hose Co., which is located in the western section of the city, will be staged on both sides of the river so volunteers can get to equipment quickly in case of an emergency. Lincoln said the city will also be getting support from fire departments in South Connellsville and Connellsville Township during the closure.

Lincoln expected traffic on the bridge that takes Route 119 over the Yough to be bad in the first few weeks of construction as people find different ways to get around. However, the Connellsville Area School District closed Tuesday for inclement weather, which he thought made the first day of the closure a little easier than expected.

Even with the anticipated inconvenience, some are making light of the closure.

City Councilman Bob Topper Jr. and business partner Carolyn Domgasky started selling T-shirts that commemorated the bridge closure with funny slogans using their West Yough Threads store on Etsy. One design calls Connellsville “A City Divided” while another offers an excuse for people who are tardy that “Sorry I’m late, the bridge is dahn.”

“You got to find some kind of humor in this or it’s going to be a long year,” Topper said. “We all know it’s going to be a year of patience. We’re doing all we can as a city to make it as easy as possible.”

Both Lincoln and Topper were complimentary of PennDOT officials, who they said have had an open line of communication with residents and officials throughout the planning process. In a statement, PennDOT District 12 Executive Rachel Duda reminded motorists that “Connellsville is still open for business” during the project and hoped the disruptions would be kept to a minimum, if possible.

“We are very understanding of the importance of the bridge and want to make disruptions as tolerable and minimal as possible,” Duda said. “This project will further enhance the community and its economy.”

Lincoln said there will be a shuttle service available to residents from 6 a.m. to noon and 4 to 8 p.m. by calling 724-317-1428. The mayor added that the shuttle’s schedule may be adjusted accordingly as time goes on.

In addition to the bridge rehabilitation project, Lincoln said Connellsville is experiencing other improvements, such as construction of a new events center, additional affordable housing and new businesses, along with various infrastructure improvements.

“It’s exciting for the city to have this much going on at the same time,” Lincoln said. “It’s really a good thing for us.”