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$26M I-79 interchange project set to begin
03/18/08 — VERNON TOWNSHIP — A more than $26 million, two-year reconstruction of Interstate 79’s Meadville/Conneaut Lake interchange is scheduled to begin next week — bringing with it some traffic detours.
The project, which will rebuild the southbound and northbound bridges carrying the interstate over routes 6, 19 and 322 and rebuild the exit and entrance ramps at the interchange, starts Monday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
Contractor Joseph B. Fay of Russellton will carry out the $26.2 million project in two phases starting with the southbound side this year.
The southbound I-79 bridge over routes 6 and 322 will be rebuilt this year as well as exit and entrance ramps for the southbound lanes of the interstate, said Deborah Casadei, PennDOT spokeswoman. The work is to be completed by late October.
Traffic on I-79 will be maintained in both directions in the northbound lanes during southbound reconstruction. Traffic will be separated by a concrete barrier.
The southbound work will close exit and entrance ramps related to the southbound side of the interchange this construction season.
“We’re trying to find ways to minimize the impact that we can (on businesses),” said Casadei. “We got a lot of help from tourism (Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau), the (Meadville-Western Crawford County) Chamber (of Commerce), businesses, emergency services and (Vernon) township.”
PennDOT officials met in mid-February with businesses, tourism, Chamber and local elected officials to discuss the construction project and its impact.
The I-79 southbound off-ramp to routes 6 and 322 eastbound will be closed this year.
Also, the I-79 southbound off-ramp to routes 6 and 322 westbound will close in April, but it will reopen to traffic by June.
Southbound I-79 traffic wanting to exit to Meadville or Conneaut Lake will be detoured at the Saegertown interchange via routes 198, 98 and 6.
The routes 6 and 322 westbound to I-79 southbound ramp will also be closed from April through October this year. Traffic for this ramp will be detoured via routes 6, 19 and 285 to I-79 at the Geneva interchange.
All northbound ramps and the route 6 and 322 eastbound to I-79 southbound ramp will remain open during 2008.
Work on the southbound side begins Monday at 8 p.m. when Fay’s crews will install underdeck shielding on the I-79 southbound bridge. The shielding is to protect the highway beneath the bridge.
Traffic on routes 6 and 322 passing underneath the interstate will be unrestricted from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Work on the I-79 southbound bridge may mean single-lane restrictions in either or both directions on routes 6 and 322 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Brief traffic stoppages will be necessary for removal and replacement of the I-79 southbound bridge beams. That work will be done in the evening and overnight, according to PennDOT.
The southbound work is to be completed by late October this year.
In March 2009, similar reconstruction of the northbound I-79 bridge and exit and entrance ramps will begin, according to PennDOT. That work will be finished by November 2009.
Keith Gushard can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.
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Senior citizens may be charged game admission
Senior citizens may no longer get a free ride when it comes to admission to Conneaut School District athletic events, but that was about the only concrete suggestion that came out of a special Tuesday-night Conneaut School Board work session focusing on the district’s athletic program. Even that isn’t a done deal; the board is expected to take a look at the possibility of instituting a $1 gate fee for seniors at some future date.
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Hotel makes major comeback under new owner
In many ways, the Hotel Conneaut is a business that’s as much about history as hospitality.
And as far as Greg Sutterlin is concerned, it’s all the subtle, behind-the-scenes work — upgrades to things like its water system, roofing and other structural elements — that will ensure the history-rich hotel retains that character as it’s again proving itself a viable part of the region’s tourism attractions. -
Maple syrup producers all tapped out
A week before the annual Maple Taste & Tour Weekend, while the rest of the 75 or so area maple producers were out trying to squeeze out every last ounce of sap from their maple trees, longtime producer Janet Woods was out in her back yard scheming.
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Flood watches and warnings lifted
All flood watches and warnings for Crawford County have been lifted by the National Weather Service in Cleveland.
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Big glasses, big hats, big parade
Shiny big glasses and extravagant hats stole away much of the attention at Saturday afternoon’s 23rd annual Jack Curtin St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Celebration in downtown Meadville. And the stranger, the better.
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SUNDAY ISSUE: Obama more popular than Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans have come to detest Congress ever more deeply as it nears the end of a nasty fight over health care. But more than half still back President Barack Obama, a bright spot for a Democratic Party counting on its leader to help stave off expected losses in elections this fall.
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Greenville soldier lives 'The Hurt Locker'
GREENVILLE, Mercer County — He’s frosty.
Calm, cool, collected: Spc. Chris Marks, 21, of Greenville, is one of the soldiers who served in the U.S. Army’s 767th Explosive Ordnance Division. They’re the brave soldiers who risk life and limb regularly to disarm and dispose of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that have been a signature of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Roads closed due to flooding; French Creek expected to reach flood stage by midnight
Area roads already closed with French Creek still rising; expected to reach flood stage by midnight.
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Duratz wins big in Leprechaun contest
The Jack Curtin Stimulus Package has worked its economic miracle one more time.
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Senior citizens may be charged game admission
