Meadville Tribune

Local News

Discussion

Add a comment on this story
October 16, 2008

Geneva Swamp bridge work planned for 2009

By Keith Gushard

VERNON TOWNSHIP — Interstate 79 travelers will face not one, but two, major construction projects in Crawford County next year.

The Meadville-Conneaut Lake interchange is being rebuilt and the two bridges carrying the interstate over Geneva Swamp will be rehabbed.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is expected to go to bid next month on the swamp bridge project.

Each of the 3,600-foot long bridges is considered structurally deficient by PennDOT, meaning the bridge has deterioration of one or more of its major components. Although there is deterioration, the bridges are safe, said Bill Koller, a bridge engineer with PennDOT.

The problems are with the supports underneath where concrete has chipped away from the steel reinforcement bars. Moisture causes the steel reinforcement bars, or rebar, to rust, which causes the concrete then to pop.

“It’s chipped out, exposing the rebar, so we need to seal it off,” Koller said at a PennDOT news conference Thursday.

Years ago moisture and road salt got down through expansion joints in the bridge to the supports, he said.

For the last 15 to 20 years, PennDOT has used rubberized expansion joints and a waterproof rubber membrane on its bridges that is then covered with about 3 to 4 inches of asphalt to keep water from seeping to the supports. The Geneva Swamp bridges were paved in such a way a couple of years ago, Koller said.

Now, it’s time to repair the concrete supports, and there are 59 on each bridge, Koller said. The steel pilings that hold the concrete supports are in good shape, Koller said.

The steel pilings, some of which are 200 feet deep, were coated with a special sealant when the bridges were built in the 1960s, Koller said. Plus the swamp doesn’t have strong flowing water around the pilings to cause deterioration. The steel pilings themselves are filled with concrete and rebar.

Both bridges will be repaired under the contract and the concrete on the parapets — top edges of the sides of each bridge — also will be refaced, he said.

“Hopefully, we’ll never have to go back again,” Koller said. “I don’t want my kids to be fixing these bridges.”

The project will be done during the 2009 construction season and traffic will be maintained over the bridges, according to PennDOT officials.

However, it will be up to the contractor whether the work will be done on both bridges at the same time with each bridge open as one lane or whether all traffic will be shifted to one bridge while work is done on the other, PennDOT said.

The project is part of an effort by PennDOT to reduce the number of structurally deficient bridges in Crawford County.

Pennsylvania has nearly 6,000 structurally deficient bridges, and in July Gov. Rendell signed legislation to authorize $350 million for 411 structurally deficient bridges statewide. Some 46 bridges are in PennDOT’s District 1, which includes Crawford and five other northwest Pennsylvania counties.

Other bridges to be done next year include replacing both of the Six Mile Bridges on Interstate 90 in eastern Erie County and three bridges carrying Route 62 through Sharon in Mercer County, PennDOT said.



Keith Gushard can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.

Text Only
Local News
Business Marquee
AP Video
Raw Video: Israeli Embassy Car Attacked Coroner: Don't Know Houston's Cause of Death Yet Valentine Greetings Sent Worldwide From Loveland Greek Austerity Measures Spark Riots Raw Video: Obama Budget Goes to Capitol Hill Arab League Wants U.N. Help in Syria Nordic Festival Puts North Korea in Spotlight 'Rumor Has It' Adele's Rolling in the Grammys Grohl, Grammy Nominees Cut Up on the Red Carpet Greece Passes New Austerity Deal Amid Rioting Coroner: Houston Autopsy Results Weeks Away Raw Video: Greek Rioting Ahead of Austerity Vote Raw Video: Child Rescued After Kosovo Avalanche Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48 Whitney Houston's Church Mourns Her Passing Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party 79 Turtles Seized at Shanghai Airport Severe Cold Wreaks Havoc in China Fuel Removal Under Way on Capsized Italian Ship Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room
Poll

A clean-energy plan to use solar energy in eastern Pennsylvania has been met with resistance, even by environmental groups. Do you think solar energy has a future as a valuable energy source in Pennsylvania?

Yes, as the technology improves (and is needed), get these systems up and running as quickly as possible.
Yes, and the efficient, clean energy is needed — but take some time to do it right and environment-friendly.
No, solar energy is not the right choice for Pennsylvania; the environmental risk is too great.
     View Results
Hyperlocal Search
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Popular Searches
Powered by Local.com
Stocks