October 31, 2016
A Ferguson Valley Road (SR 4013) bridge in Granville Township, Mifflin County, has opened to traffic. The bridge was replaced as part of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) Rapid Bridge Replacement Project. The bridge spans Strodes Run about a mile northwest of the village of Strodes Mills. Replacing the bridge eliminates a weight limit posting of 35-ton for single vehicles and 40-ton for combination vehicles and also allows PennDOT to remove the bridge from the state’s structurally deficient list.
The bridge reopened to traffic on Saturday, October 29 and the detour using Route 3005 (Sand Ridge Road), U.S. 22 (Fourth Street), U.S. 22/522, and T-710 (Strodes Run Road) was lifted.
Motorists may notice a slight bump as they drive across the bridge until a polyester polymer concrete (PPC) overlay is applied to the bridge deck. This is often the final step in completing these 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 and after the bridge concrete has cured for at least 30 days. Flaggers will enforce an alternating traffic pattern when the PPC overlay is applied in mid-2017.
This bridge is referred to as JV-78 and is one of 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.