October 26, 2017
Construction
for the bridge that carries Smokestown Road over Swamp Creek in East Cocalico Township, Lancaster County, is scheduled to begin on Monday, October 30, as part of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) Rapid Bridge Replacement Project.
Smokestown Road is officially designated as State Route 1034. Replacement of this bridge will allow PennDOT to remove it from the state’s structurally deficient bridge list.
Motorists are advised the bridge will be closed to all traffic starting Monday. During this time, drivers will be directed to follow a detour along Route 897, Ridge Road and Reinholds Road. The new bridge is expected to open to traffic around mid-January 2018.
In the event of unfavorable weather or unforeseen activities, this schedule may change.
The Rapid Bridge Replacement Project is a public-private partnership (P3) between PennDOT and Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners (
PWKP), under which
PWKP will finance, design, replace, and maintain the bridges for 25 years. The P3 approach will allow PennDOT to replace the bridges more quickly while
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