Bridge repair work to start Monday on Route 26 near State College — and should be done by September
Bridge repair work is set to begin Monday just outside of State College on state Route 26 near Puddintown Road, and construction on the 29-foot bridge is expected to be completed by early September, according to PennDOT.
On Monday, lanes will shift on Route 26 but will still accommodate two lanes in each direction. Later in the summer, work will move closer to Puddintown Road, and a local detour will be set up.
Although normal highway and bridge construction projects are currently halted due to concerns surrounding COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, this work is considered essential due to safety needs. It’s part of a $1.5 million project that addresses the condition of four other local bridges and a retaining wall.
Among them:
- The Route 1002 bridge over Marsh Creek in Liberty Township; 2 miles northeast of Romola near Lower Polecat Road
- The Route 3040 bridge over Ardrey Run in Huston Township; 3 miles northeast of Port Matilda near the intersection with Ardery Hollow Road
- The Route 3040 bridge over Dix Run in Huston Township; 1 mile southwest of Julian near the intersection with Silverdale Road
- The Route 3049 bridge over Moshannon Creek in Osceola Mills
- The stone masonry retaining wall along Route 150 and Spring Creek near Tallyrand Park in Bellefonte
Work at locations other than Puddintown Road are expected to be finished by late June, as long as the weather/schedule cooperates. Work includes deck repair/replacement; beam, abutment and wing repairs; a new barrier, paving, guide rail improvements and minor drainage improvements.
The Route 26 bridge is more than 50 years old and dates back to 1959. It carries an average of more than 1,300 vehicles each day.
“Rehabilitation work on this structure will extend its useful life and improve the ride quality safety of the roadway surface,” PennDOT said in a written statement.
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.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 11:11 AM.
