Eat'n Park in Bridgeville, a staple along Route 50 since 1956, undergoing makeover
BRIDGEVILLE, Pa. (KDKA) — On Tuesday morning, crews began demolishing the Bridgeville Eat'n Park that has been standing along a stretch of Route 50 since 1956.
Eat'n Park spokesperson Courtney Caprara said it is to make way for a new and more modern Eat'n Park diner with things like a salad bar and a takeout window.
"It has been in the community for almost 70 years, so it is time for a refresh," Caprara said. "This project had actually been on our radar for a long time. And the timing was finally right to really bring in this new modern restaurant that still celebrates Eat'n Park's history but really brings the best to our guests here in Bridgeville."
Steve Neccypir of Carnegie stopped by on Tuesday to watch the demolition. He says he is going to miss this old place.
"Sad to see it go," Neccypir said. "I used to come up here as a little kid and you could get a Big Boy, fries and a drink for a $1.09. It's the last of the old Eat'n Park that I know of."
The other thing at play is the expanding of Route 50/Washington Pike in the area and the fixing of its often-clogged and confusing intersection with Vanadium Road.
Doug Thompson, the assistant district executive of construction for PennDOT, said the new plus intersection that PennDOT is putting in will have two dedicated left turn lanes that will benefit the new Eat'n Park.
"When we create that plus intersection," said Thompson, "if you are traveling up Vanadium to Route 50, you could have had motorists wanting to pull out of Eat'n Park or pull into the old Peter's Place entrance, and there were two separate entrances there. Now, there will just be one. So, that will be an obvious intersection improvement there."
PennDOT and Eat'n Park are hopeful that both of the construction projects will be completed by the end of this year.