Lehigh River/Pohopoco Creek Bridges
Construction Update: August 3, 2009

Pier Stems Rising for New Pohopoco Creek Bridges
Temporary causeways under construction for the new Lehigh River spans

Construction is nearing completion on two piers for the new Turnpike bridges over the Pohopoco Creek as drilling for foundation shafts continues for several of the remaining ten supports along the banks and in the streambed of the Carbon County waterway.

Drilling rigs set up on temporary causeways that were built in the creek in early spring are sinking shafts for foundations for in-stream supports for the creek bridges.  Once drillers reach a solid footing and steel casings are in place, concrete is then poured into the deep shaft to complete each foundation.

With foundations in place, reinforcing steel cages – which are assembled horizontally on the ground – are lifted by towering cranes positioned in the busy work area and lowered onto the foundations.  Formwork is then assembled around the exposed vertical cages, and concrete is poured in tapered segments to complete the pier stems.

Crews will start constructing the pier “caps”, “T”-shaped structures atop each support to finish the bridge’s sub structure. Pre-stressed concrete bridge beams – up to 165-feet long – will then be set and secured to the tops of the caps.  Steel deck pans are then placed on the beams to hold the new bridge’s reinforced concrete deck to complete the superstructure of each new span.

Lehigh River and Turnpike Work Areas
Work is expected to begin shortly to construct temporary causeways in the Lehigh River.  Drilling for pier foundations for that set of northbound and southbound bridges will begin once the causeways – which provide a work platform for foundation crews and equipment – are in place. A sub-structure construction process similar to that in progress at the Pohopoco Creek work area will be underway this fall to build the 19 piers that are needed for the new northbound and southbound bridges over the Lehigh River and Canal.

Along the Turnpike high above the creek and river, excavation to scale back the rock wall along the southbound lanes at the southern end of the work zone continues. Crews are using heavy equipment and controlled explosives to loosen and remove the rock face embankment. This work is necessary to provide room to shift the main line Turnpike to the west so that it aligns with the new bridges that are being constructed upstream of the existing spans. Full stoppages may occur between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays whenever blasting occurs at this location.

At the northern end of the Turnpike work zone, abutments – the end walls that connect the new structures to the mainline Turnpike approaches to the bridges – are under construction on both sides of the Pohopoco Creek.

Turnpike traffic has been shifted slightly to the east and temporary construction barrier is in place to provide a secure work area for all of the activities along the southbound side to progress.

Work also is underway on the topside on both sides of the Turnpike to install the storm-water drainage system – inlets, piping, retention areas – for the new bridges.

All ongoing work is part of Stage 1 construction on the $101.56 million contract to replace the separate northbound and southbound bridges carrying the Northeastern Extension (I-476) over the Lehigh River and Pohopoco Creek.

A separate but adjacent project to reconstruct the ramp bridge over the Turnpike at the Mahoning Valley Interchange (Exit #74) also is currently underway. The ramp bridge is being constructed a half-at-a-time, with crews now working on the southern half of the structure. Temporary traffic signals are in place to control the flow of a single lane of ramp traffic across the span.


Traffic Impacts

• Periodic daytime and nighttime lane closures and brief stoppages may occur on the Turnpike.
• Watch for slow moving construction vehicles entering and exiting the Turnpike.
• A permanent shoulder closure is in place on Route 248 westbound from Parryville to the existing overhead Turnpike bridge.
• Daytime lane closures also may be in effect on Route 248.

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