Construction Update: September 17, 2009

Pohopoco Bridge Abutments Rising From the Southbound Shoulder
Rock Excavation Continues South of the Lehigh River

Construction of bridge abutments is visible to motorists on the southbound lanes of Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Northeastern Extension as crews assemble formwork, place reinforcing steel and pour concrete for the structures’ end walls on the embankments on both sides of the Pohopoco Creek in Carbon County.

Passing motorists also are seeing progress on excavation at the rock outcropping in the shoulder at the southern end of the Lehigh River Bridge. The hillside is being cut back – through a series of controlled blasts – to provide room to shift the Turnpike to the west when the new bridges, under construction on the upstream side the extension, are completed in 2011.

Traffic Impacts
•    Full stoppages may occur on the Turnpike between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays whenever blasting occurs at this location. The contractor has been conducting most of the blasts as close to 12 noon as possible.

Rock excavated from the hillside is being deposited on the opposite side of the Turnpike to extend the embankment so that it can be utilized during a traffic shift at a later stage of the project.

Early stages of construction are also now underway for a bridge  abutment overlooking the northern bank of the Lehigh River. Pier construction and construction of additional abutments for those new northbound and southbound structures is expected to get underway this fall.  A total of 19 piers will be built on the banks and in the streambed of the Lehigh River and Canal.

In addition to abutments, crews continue construction of a dozen piers that will support the new Pohopoco Creek bridges. In a busy work area along the banks of the creek, and in the streambed itself,  crews are drilling foundations and assembling the formwork and reinforcing steel for the massive concrete piers and the “T” shaped pier caps that will hold the new  bridges’ pre-stressed concrete beams and reinforced concrete deck.

At the northern end of the Turnpike work zone, work also continues for a retaining wall that will support the roadway where it shifts onto the new alignment approaching the new Pohopoco Creek Bridge.

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 southern half of the bridge, which is  being constructed a half-at-a-time, has been completed. Crews are now working on the northern half of the structure. Temporary traffic signals are in place to control the flow of a single lane of ramp traffic across the span.


General Traffic Impacts

• Periodic daytime and nighttime lane closures and brief daytime stoppages may occur on the Turnpike.
• Watch for slow moving construction vehicles entering and exiting the Turnpike.
• A long-term shoulder closure is in place on Route 248 westbound from Parryville to the existing overhead Turnpike bridge.
• Long-term lane closures is in effect on eastbound Route 248 at the Turnpike overpass.
• Long-term lane closure is planned on westbound Route 248 at the Turnpike overpass.

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