PennDOT to Start Rebuilding 22nd and 21st Street Bridges Over I-676

PennDOT to Start Rebuilding 22nd and 21st Street Bridges Over I-676

11/3/2016-KING OF PRUSSIA

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced
that
work will begin Monday, November 7, to replace the 22nd Street and 21st
Street
bridges over Interstate 676 in Philadelphia. PennDOT is advancing the start
of
construction on the two spans in order to complete the $64.8 million
project to
replace seven bridges over I-676 a year ahead of schedule.

"Advancing the start of construction on the 22nd and 21st street bridges by

eight months saves considerable time on the back end and enables the entire

infrastructure improvement project to finish much earlier than
anticipated,"
said George Dunheimer, P.E., PennDOT's Assistant District Executive for
Construction.

"The plan was to replace four bridges over I-676 in stage one, which began
last
year, and three bridges in stage two, which is scheduled to start in July.
However, we conducted a study that revealed no adverse traffic flow impacts

within the project area by advancing the start of the 22nd and 21st street
bridges," Dunheimer added.

PennDOT will keep two lanes of traffic open on the 22nd Street and 21st
Street
bridges throughout their reconstruction by rebuilding both bridges one half
at
a time. Both bridges are expected to be completed in fall 2018.

The two bridges are part of PennDOT's project to replace seven structurally

deficient bridges over I-676 between 22nd Street and 18th Street, and to
make
landscaping and streetscape improvements above the expressway. Construction

began in April 2015 and the project is now scheduled to finish in November
2018, instead of November 2019.

Crews will work from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Monday, November 7, to restripe
travel lanes and move two lanes of northbound traffic on 22nd Street to the

east side of the structure. They also will begin initial preparatory on the

21st Street bridge to close the east sidewalk and parking lane. Once
preparations are complete in late November, the contractor will shift
traffic
to the east side of the 21st Street bridge and begin reconstruction of the
western half of the structure. Additional work may be performed on both
bridges
next week between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM to finalize the traffic pattern
changes.

A sidewalk on the 22nd Street overpass will remain open to pedestrians
during
all phases of construction. The narrow width of the 21st Street bridge does
not
provide space for a sidewalk to remain open during construction.
Pedestrians on
21st Street will be directed to pedestrian crossings on 22nd Street or to
20th
Street/Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Parking on the 22nd Street and 21st Street overpasses will be eliminated
during
construction.

I-676 will be closed and detoured periodically during overnight hours while
the
22nd Street and 21st Street bridges are under construction.

Similar to the five other bridges that PennDOT is replacing over I-676
under
this project, the new 22nd Street and 21st Street bridges will be
single-span
structures, which eliminates the need for piers in the center of I-676. The

existing center piers will be removed.

In addition to these two spans, PennDOT is currently building new
pedestrian
bridges at the Free Library and former Family Court building, and new
structures on 19th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway/20th Street over
I-676.
Construction on the 18th Street bridge over I-676 is scheduled to start in
mid-2017 and finish in mid-2018. The 18th Street bridge will be closed
during
construction.

PennDOT's contractor is currently rebuilding the western-most section of
the
Benjamin Franklin Parkway/20th Street structure. Construction of the new
Benjamin Franklin Parkway/20th Street bridge is being performed in phases
and
is scheduled to finish in June 2017.

The new 19th Street bridge over I-676 is scheduled to be completed and
opened
in late 2016.

The two new pedestrian crossings at the Free Library and former Family
Court
building are expected to open in June 2017, following the completion of
improvements to the public spaces at each crossing.

PennDOT and its general contractor, Buckley & Company, Inc. of
Philadelphia,
worked out the revised construction schedule. The new accelerated schedule
will
not change the cost of the $64,836,180 project, which is financed with 100
percent federal funds.

For more information on the I-676 project, visit www.bridgesover676.com.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles by
visiting
www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides
traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and
access
to more than 770 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and
Android
devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts
accessible
on the 511PA website.

For more PennDOT information, visit www.penndot.gov. Follow local PennDOT
Information on Twitter at www.twitter.com/511PAPhilly, and follow the
department on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/pennsylvaniadepartmentoftransportation and Instagram at
www.instagram.com/pennsylvaniadot.


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