More bridgework near Lemont set for Monday. Impact first expected on US Route 322
The Elmwood Street bridge near Lemont — which travels over U.S. Route 322 — will be entirely closed for repairs once the summer starts, according to PennDOT. But, starting Monday, early repairs to the bridge are first expected to impact motorists in that area of Route 322.
Because crews will be working underneath the bridge Monday, PennDOT issued a news release to caution drivers about “short-term lane and shoulder closures” on that stretch of Route 322, near the State College exit in College Township. Impacts should be minimal during this time, PennDOT added.
It wasn’t immediately known how long the work underneath the bridge might last. But, according to the overall timeline, the bridge will remain open until the end of the school year. (The final day of school for the last Centre County district is June 5.) Repairs should be finished by late September, depending on the weather.
No official detour for the bridge has yet been announced. But PennDOT said that will be released before the bridge closes.
According to PennDOT, the bridge is listed as being in “fair” condition. By repairing it — with concrete beam and deck improvements, installation of reinforcement bars and new strip seals, an epoxy overlay, approach paving, etc. — the bridge rating should improve to “good” while extending its service life.
These repairs are part of a $1.4 million project that includes two other Centre County bridges. The Route 504 bridge in Boggs Township, which spans Wallace Run, was completed last year, and the other — a Route 26 bridge that spans Route 322 — is scheduled to be repaired later this construction season.
The contractor is H&P Construction Inc. of Kulpmont.
This is a separate bridge project from the one PennDOT announced earlier this week. That also involved Route 322, specifically the bridge that spans Warner Boulevard and Spring Creek near the the Oak Hall interchange, and that also starts Monday.
For more information, PennDOT encourages residents to check conditions on that roadway and more than 40,000 others by visiting 511PA.com or following @511PAStateColl on Twitter.
