July 17, 2017
The first of two bridges being replaced on Route 155 (Turtle Point-Larabee Road) bridge in Eldred Township, McKean County, reopened to traffic today. The bridge spans Newell Creek, about two miles southeast of the Village of Larabee, and was replaced as part of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's (PennDOT) Rapid Bridge Project. Replacement of the bridge allows PennDOT to remove it from the state’s structurally deficient bridge list.
The second bridge on Route 155 (Turtle Point-Larabee Road) in Annin Township (JV-63) closed to traffic today after the opening of the first one. Motorist will utilize the same detour along Route 6, Route 46 and Route 446 until construction is complete in August.
With the bridge reopened, motorists may notice a slight bump as they drive across the bridge until a polyester polymer concrete (PPC) overlay is applied to the deck. This is often the final step in completing box beam bridge projects. The PPC overlay is designed to protect the deck from the wear and tear brought about by Pennsylvania’s harsh winters and reduce the long-term maintenance costs.
The polyester material can only be applied when temperatures are consistently above 40 degrees, dry weather is forecasted and after the bridge concrete has cured for at least 30 days. An alternating traffic pattern will be controlled by flaggers when the PPC overlay is applied in August.
To find out when the overlay will be applied to this structure, visit www.parapidbridges.com/polyesterpolymerconcreteoverlay.html. In the event of unfavorable weather, this schedule may change. Any such changes will be posted on the website.
This bridge is referred to as JV-64 and is one out of the 558 bridges being replaced under the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project. JV references the joint-venture partnership between Walsh/Granite, which is leading construction for the entire project. Replacement work for this bridge was performed by Walsh Construction II.