September 02, 2016
Ten weeks to-the-day after it was closed, SR 106 in Lenox Township was reopened to traffic. The original closure was scheduled for 15 weeks, but the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation was able to coordinate with Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners (PWKP) to expedite the project by having crews work 24 hours a day when possible to meet the 10-week deadline.
The bridge reopened to traffic on the afternoon of Monday, August 29. The work was performed by Clearwater Construction. The bridge is longer and wider than the one it replaced, and should last for over 100 years.
“We’d like to thank Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners and Clearwater Construction for their commitment to meeting the 10-week deadline,” said District 4 Executive George Roberts. “Accelerating the construction schedule is a huge benefit to the motorist as well as the local business owners.”
The bridge replacement is part of the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project, 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 achieving significant savings and minimizing impact on motorists.
The original bridge which crosses Tunkhannock Creek was built in 1954 and averages 3,600 vehicles per day.