Mild Winter Allowing Road Crews To Get Jump Start On Construction Season
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The mild weather of this winter has been a bonanza for road construction crews and is allowing some projects to get rolling as much as a month ahead of the traditional spring start in April.
Single lane restrictions on the south end of the Glenwood Bridge went into effect today.
PennDOT's District 11 Executive Dan Cessna says the reconstruction of the connections between 885 and 837 are continuing.
"This is a multi-phase project, and the good news is we're going into our final stage and it will wrap up by the end of the year," he said.
In order to get all the bridges and ramps completed, the contractor has no choice but to put up the barriers.
"There will be some lane closures that will be phased in through the summer and through the fall," says Cessna.
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Meanwhile, the orange lane markers are now out along Route 65 from the Fort Duquesne Bridge to the McKees Rocks Bridge. Those markers will move into place soon for a summer of work that will involve closed lanes.
"In the northbound direction, the three-lane sections will be taken down to two lanes and the two lane sections will go down to a single lane," Cessna said.
There is no way to understate the impact, says Cessna.
"The reality is for the evening commute you likely will have delays," he said.
Cessna says replacing the 20-year-old concrete will take all summer, but not the entire construction season.
"There will be some work that continues, but these restrictions will just be through September," he said.
PennDOT says other contractors are watching the weather and may not wait for April.
"Some are starting their processes a few weeks early," Cessna says. "Most start in early April, some are getting going at the start of March. That just gets us a head start on the summer season."