Area residents are now able to breath a sigh of relief — plans to replace the Two Mile Creek Bridge on Route 155 north of Port Allegany have been delayed until next year. And the work will occur in phases.
Originally, the controversial plan proposal called for the bridge to be shut down completely, impacting access for hundreds of people.
In fact, over the last several weeks, local residents have expressed concerns relating to safety and emergency vehicles and rerouting high volumes of traffic on side-roads. Individuals would have had to travel from the intersection at U.S. Route 6 to Smethport and then to the Larabee “Y” — a 25-mile detour that takes more than half an hour.
“It’s critically important to keeping that bridge open –– first and foremost for public safety purposes,” said state Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, who announced the latest bridge development on Thursday.
Now, the bridge is to be replaced in the spring of 2017 and one lane will be open at a time with a traffic light guiding drivers.
“It’s the only possible solution,” area resident Lori Chase said via Facebook. “Sadly, nothing proved that more than the destruction at Postlewait’s … and the thought of how much worse it could’ve been if Port, Roulette, and Coudy fire trucks would’ve had to detour through Smethport.”
Postlewait Trucking along Route 155 in Annin Township was the scene of a fire last week.
Since March, Causer said he had been in touch with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to make sure a different approach could be tackled.
“The work is being done by a private company through the state’s public-private partnership initiative,” reads a statement from Causer’s office. “According to PennDOT, the bridge will be replaced next spring using staged construction. Staged construction involves replacing the bridge in stages so that part of it may remain open to traffic at all times.”
Frank Stanton, who owns Busty Heart’s Place along Route 155 with his wife, Susan Sykes, has had concerns about the proposed project. But now that the Two Mile Bridge has been delayed, Stanton said he is worried about the two other projects that involve bridges that cross Rock Run and Newell Creek, both north of Turtlepoint on Route 155.
Stanton said he is worried about the impact to their business, which is a strip club. The two have been vocal, heading to municipal meetings and in touch with state officials, he said.
On Thursday, Causer received a notification about the project from PennDOT District 2 officials.
“I commend PennDOT District Executive Karen Michael and her staff for working diligently to change the scope of the project,” Causer said. “The original plan to close the bridge and impose a lengthy detour was simply unacceptable, as it would have put public safety at risk.”
Over the next two years, Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners plans to replace 17 bridges in McKean County, all part of the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project. Under the public-private partnership between the state Department of Transportation and Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners, Plenary will finance, design, replace and maintain the bridges for 25 years. Walsh/Granite JV will oversee construction of the Port Allegany area bridge.
