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WARREN, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation invites the public to view the online plans display for a project to rehabilitate the bridge that carries Route 59 over Kinzua Creek (Allegheny Reservoir).
The bridge is located on Route 59 (Kinzua Drive) within the Allegheny National Forest between the intersection with Route 6 and the intersection with Route 321.
This bridge rehabilitation project will involve structural steel repairs to the truss members, concrete repairs to the bridge piers and abutments, bearing replacements, and a navigational lighting system replacement.
Work is expected to occur during the 2024 construction season.
One lane on the bridge will be closed across the entire length of the bridge throughout the duration of this work. Temporary signals will control traffic at each end of the bridge.
An Aids to Navigation Plan has been coordinated with the PA Fish and Boat Commission and temporary signs for boating traffic along the channel will be posted during construction.
The bridge will be closed for approximately 48 hours during a portion of the work after Labor Day. A 62-mile detour will be posted using Route 321 (Kane-Marshburg Road) and Route 6.
The existing steel truss bridge was built in 1962. It is classified as fair condition. In 2020, a new wearing surface was installed, and bridge deck joints were replaced. Approximately 1,000 vehicles a day use the bridge, on average.
This project is funded at least in part by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). In 2023 alone, the BIL is bringing approximately $23.7 million in additional funding to the northwest region to be allocated by the department and its local Metropolitan and Rural Planning Organization (MPO/RPO) partners. In the northwest region, the planning partners are the Erie Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the Shenango Valley MPO, and the Northwest Rural Planning Organization (RPO), for projects in Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties.
The plans display for the Route 59 Bridge Project, which will be held online only, includes a handout, a PDF presentation, and an online comment form. It will be open until Nov. 3, 2023, and can be accessed by visiting the PennDOT District 1 website, www.penndot.pa.gov/District1.
Those unable to access the information online may give feedback by contacting PennDOT Project Manager Mark Nicholson, P.E., at [email protected] or 814-678-7057.
The purpose of the plans display is to introduce the project and receive public input regarding any questions or concerns with the project. It is also an opportunity for the public to review and comment on the project’s potential effect upon Cultural Resources pursuant to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s 36 CFR Part 800 regulations implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
Pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, PennDOT does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. If you feel that you have been denied the benefits of or participation in a PennDOT program or activity, you may contact the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Equal Opportunity, DBE/Title VI Division at 717-787-5891 or 800-468-4201.
