A second bridge on the U.S. Route 219 Bradford Bypass is coming
down.

On Tuesday, crews from Bob Cummins Construction Co. of Bradford
began tearing down the Forman Street bridge, and were busy taking
five beams off the Main Street bridge – two of six spans that will
be demolished by the company over the next several weeks.

“We began the Forman Street project today (Tuesday) and are
taking off the superstructure,” Bob Cummins said. “We’ll be there
the rest of the week. The beams will come off next week.”

Cummins said crews will also be “getting shoring in” on the Main
Street bridge before taking out abutments and piers at that
location.

Work to remove a sanitary sewer line near the Main Street bridge
will also be taking place, according to officials.

According to Cummins, crews working on the Forman Street project
are working their way around the Tunungwant Creek, which flows
under a section of the bridge.

“We are cutting off the deck in pieces and are using a ‘slab
crab,'” Cummins said. “That machine picks up the pieces of the
bridge and moves it along before they are laid in dump trucks.”

Cummins said the company has also been in contact with the state
Department of Environmental Protection for the work above the
creek, adding “you have to keep as much (bridge material) as you
can out of it.”

Both the Forman and Main bridges are located near the central
business district. The work is part of the larger $55.4 million,
two-year bypass project being done by Mascaro Construction Co. of
Pittsburgh.

After demolition and related work is done at those two sites,
Cummins said crews will make their way to the Elm Street bridge –
likely starting that project sometime early next week – before
moving onto Mill Street, the largest of the bypass bridges, which
Cummins hopes to begin demolishing around June 12. The crews will
then go to Kendall Avenue and lastly Bolivar Creek.

Meanwhile, work is ongoing on the bypass itself, where crews are
taking apart the southbound lanes; traffic has switched to the
northbound lanes.

Officials said last week that delays and traffic congestion are
likely in the downtown area as the bridge work continues. Motorists
will also find numerous ramps to the highway closed this week.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the
following ramps will be closed: southbound off-ramp at Forman
Street; and all southbound on and off-ramps at Kendall-Seaward
avenues. The following ramps will remain open: all northbound and
southbound ramps at Owens Way; northbound off-ramp at Elm Street;
southbound on-ramp at Elm Street; northbound on-ramp at Forman
Street; northbound on and off-ramps at Kendall Avenue; and all
ramps at Bolivar Drive.

Crews will be working most days between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Work
is dependent on the weather.