Normal traffic patterns to be restored on Hunter Station Bridge

From staff reports

Temporary traffic signals and long-term lane restrictions on the Hunter Station Bridge in Forest County are scheduled to be removed today and and two-way traffic patterns restored, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Temporary traffic signals were installed on roads near the bridge that carries Route 62 over the Allegheny River in Tionesta Township in mid-July. The use of temporary signals enabled half-width construction on roadway approaches to the bridge, and eliminated the need for a detour that would have been more than 40 miles long, PennDOT said.

The traffic changes were part of a $23.7 million project to replace the old Hunter Station Bridge with a new 1,124-foot-long bridge that was built 100 feet upstream from the former structure.

Traffic was first shifted onto one lane of the new bridge on Sept. 6 and the old bridge was demolished on Oct. 4.

While two-way traffic is being introduced to the new bridge today, some remaining construction activities might require short-term lane restrictions with traffic controlled by flaggers.

Work on the bridge replacement project started on Sept. 12, 2016, and the project is expected to be completed in the spring of 2018.

The contractor is the Mekis Construction Corporation of Fenelton. The contract cost is $23,774,703.87, which is being paid entirely with federal funds.