November 02, 2017
The Route 127 (Babylon Hill Road) bridge, which spans Gordon Run in Triumph Township and Tidioute Borough, Warren County, reopened to traffic on Wednesday, November 1. This bridge was replaced as part of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's (PennDOT) Rapid Bridge Replacement Project and allows PennDOT to remove it from the state's structurally deficient bridge list.
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 Spring 2018.
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-22 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 Thomas Construction, Inc. Grove City, PA.