Motorists traveling along the U.S. Route 219 corridor from
Bradford to Ridgway will be confronted with major construction
projects over the next several months.
Among the projects on tap through the fall include the ongoing
rehabilitation and construction of the Bradford and Johnsonburg
bypasses and work on the Gallagher Run Bridge near Ridgway, among
other smaller jobs.
All told, more than $95 million will be invested in the corridor
during the next few years. The highway is the main artery through
the region, starting at the New York state border in Foster
Township and connecting to Interstate 80 near DuBois in the
south.
“While the Bradford Bypass project is a complete rehabilitation
of the highway, the Johnsonburg project is more specific to taking
the heavier truck traffic off Route 219, which is the main
thoroughfare through the borough,” Pennsylvania Department of
Transportation Community Relations Coordinator Marla Fannin said
Monday. “There are safety concerns also.”
While the Bradford Bypass project is slated to get under way
again in the next couple of weeks following a winter break on the
major work, Fannin said the Johnsonburg project has already
resumed, with crews focused on the development of a new bypass
bridge over the Clarion River.
“They have been working to some degree over the winter,” Fannin
said, adding PennDOT officials don’t expect any major traffic
delays through the borough at this time. “As conditions warm up and
dry up, there will be more activity in regards to moving material
to the site.”
The Johnsonburg Bypass is slated to cost $38 million, and
similar to the Bradford project, will be done in two phases – the
second half will be let out for bid in November, with actual work
ongoing in the 2008-09 construction season.
By comparison, the Bradford Bypass comes at a price tag of $55
million. While a majority of the bypass work will be completed
within the year, work on a section of the highway from Bolivar
Drive to the New York state line won’t take place until the
2009-2010 construction season.
When completed, motorists traveling through Johnsonburg will
travel over the Clarion River and around the heart of the borough –
including the paper mill – and end up connecting to the highway
again near Grant Street.
PennDOT officials said about 7,700 vehicles travel the highway a
day.
Meanwhile, despite being of a much smaller scale, arguably the
most challenging project will take place near Ridgway – the
replacement of the Gallagher Run Bridge.
Work on the $2 million project started on Monday.
Officials said crews will replace the current bridge one lane at
a time, with detours in place. All northbound traffic will be
directed to a detour that uses the Bootjack Truck Bypass to Route
120. Northbound traffic will then follow Route 120 West to Route
1014 (Osterhout Street) and back to Route 219 North.
Meanwhile, southbound traffic will be able to move directly
through the work zone.
“Being such a heavily traveled roadway, it brings about its own
challenges,” Fannin said. “That’s why we’re doing it one lane at a
time.”
Mascaro Construction Co. of Pittsburgh is the main contractor
for the Bradford Bypass project, while Francis J. Palo Inc. of
Clarion is doing the Johnsonburg work.
