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PORT ROYAL -- The reconstruction project for the Juniata River Bridge at Route 75 in Port Royal was not done in time for the Juniata County Fair.
It also was not finished in time for the Port Royal racing season.
Despite the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announcing an extension of the closure of the bridge which spans the Norfolk Southern Railroad for three more weeks, the bridge appears to be re-opening just in time for the holidays.
PennDOT now expects the bridge to re-open in early November. Until then, the detour around the bridge will remain in place. The latest deadline was announced at the Port Royal Borough meeting at the Port Royal Municipal Building, 111 E. Eighth St., Port Royal, Monday night.
"PennDOT acknowledges the inconvenience this causes the community and thanks everyone for their continued patience as it works with all the stakeholders to mitigate the impact of this delay," said PennDOT Press Officer Timothy Nebgen in a press release Tuesday.
In August, PennDOT said it would try to accelerate this project when site conditions warrant to complete it as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality standards or the safety of stakeholders. However, acceleration has not been possible due to project constraints.
"The detour uses Route 3002 (Old 22 Road/Main Street), Route 35 and Route 333 before returning to Route 75," Nebgen added. "This detour has functioned efficiently during this project, causing minimal delays or traffic queueing."
HRI Inc., of State College, the contractor for the project, continues to maintain access for homeowners near the bridge.
Overall work on this $4 million project involves partial removal of the existing structure, building its replacement, approach paving and drainage improvements. Also included are water and sewer line replacements, sidewalk and guide rail replacement, pavement markings and miscellaneous construction.
Preliminary work on this project started in mid-September 2022 by demolishing a two-story building on Second Street in Port Royal. PennDOT expected demolition of the bridge to begin in early January, but work coordination issues resulted in delays.
For more information, including project updates, visit www.PennDOT.pa.gov.