PennDOT District 8 today reminds motorists that Nov. 9-12 bearing replacement work will close the bridge that carries U.S. Route 222 South over the Pennsylvania Turnpike in East Cocalico Township, Lancaster County. This closure is part of a project that started April 2 to repair the U.S. Route 222 northbound and southbound bridges over the PA Turnpike.
PennDOT has contracted with Deblin, Inc. of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, to conduct the nearly $2.4-million bridge preservation project that includes cleaning and painting the superstructure of the bridge, jacking up the bridge to replace bearings, concrete bridge deck repairs, and a latex-modified overlay to help seal the deck from water penetration and damage. This is major rehabilitation work intended to extend the useful service life of the two bridges.
U.S. Route 222 South will be detoured by way of Route 272 and Colonel Howard Boulevard from Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. to Nov. 12 at 6 a.m. This closure is necessary so that construction crews can safely “jack up” the bridge to remove and replace the bearings that help support the bridge beams.
The intent of the contractor is to address the repairs and overlay to the bridge decks this year. This has meant that traffic on U.S. Route 222 has had to be restricted to a single lane in each direction for the 2012 construction season, but traffic should be restored to two lanes in each direction for the winter season and should also remain open for the 2013 construction season. In 2013, there should be little impact to traffic on U.S. Route 222 as the contractor concentrates on the underside of the bridges, repairing and painting the steel portions of the structures.
The overall project is scheduled to wrap up in mid-Sept. 2013.