[PRCo] Route 18 bridge to be removed

[Derrick Brashear]

Looks like the bridge where the railroad adjacent to the line at
Tylerdale's gonna be removed.

http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/localnews/11-06-2009--Route-18-bridge

Route 18 bridge to be removed

By Kathie O. Warco, Staff writer, kwarco at observer-reporter.com

A bridge on Route 18 (Henderson Avenue) that spans what used to be a
railroad line at the Washington-Canton Township line will soon be
history.
Representatives of the state Department of Transportation on Wednesday
presented plans for the removal of the bridge near the Washington
Estates trailer park at an open house at the Canton Township
recreation hall. The area will be backfilled, eliminating the need for
a bridge.

"We'll also be dropping the road by as much as seven feet," said
Andrew Benchek, project manager for PennDOT. "That will allow us to
widen the road to 11-foot lanes and a four-foot shoulder."

The project will be bid in January. The work will be done later that year.

Because of the design of the concrete girder floor beam bridge, the
work will necessitate the closure of Route 18 for four to six weeks,
Benchek said.
"We will develop a construction schedule that is very aggressive,"
Benchek said. "We realize we need to consider school bus routes and
the Washington County Fair."

"We want to be aggressive and push the envelope on this," he added.
"We may set a milestone date for the contractor to have the work
done."

Benchek said that the average daily number of vehicles on that stretch
of road is 13,374. The detour will take traffic coming into Washington
from the Hickory area onto Oak Grove Road. Traffic will turn right on
North Main Street in South Strabane Township to West Chestnut Street
in Washington and back to Jefferson Avenue.

"We were very mindful of the amount of traffic," Benchek said. "We
felt this was the best solution."

Access to the businesses and homes in the area will be maintained.

Benchek said that removing the bridge and replacing it with the fill
is more cost-effective.

"There is no longer a railroad underneath so there is no need for a
structure," Benchek said. "We are saving at least $1 million by not
replacing the bridge. Plus we don't have to worry about maintaining
it."





-- 
Derrick