Local emergency responders are already preparing for next summer’s temporary shutdown of Olean Road in Foster Township.
“We are all attempting to put a plan together to service the best that we can,” township emergency management coordinator Sally Scrivo said at a meeting held Wednesday at the Foster Township Municipal Building to review details of three bridge construction projects, including one over Pennbrook scheduled to start in July and be completed in August.
The Pennsylvania Rapid Bridge Replacement Project, part of a $899 million public-private partnership, involves the replacement of 558 structurally-deficient bridges throughout Pennsylvania.
Construction of the bridge over Pennbrook is the most concerning of the township’s three projects, officials and residents pointed out at the meeting, because fire and ambulance crews will have to maneuver around the detour for two weeks.
A township resident, who wished not to be identified, asked for the justification in closing Olean Road. Several residents live on the other side of that bridge, and that route is also often used for individuals traveling to and from Olean, N.Y., or Allegany, N.Y.
Andy Dressler, traffic/public information coordinator with The Walsh Group, said PennDOT and Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners have conducted extensive research and put together the best case scenario surrounding the Pennbrook bridge project. The detour is expected to be for five weeks, only two weeks for emergency responders. Traffic will be re-routed from Olean Road to routes 346 and 546 in Pennsylvania and routes 45 and 16 in New York state.
Coordination for emergency responders in dealing with those two weeks is ongoing, Dressler said.
“Since that one is not going until July we are making sure we exhaust all avenues for that two-week period with fire and EMS (emergency medical services),” he said. “In April, we’re going to have another meeting to coordinate with fire and EMS.”
Members of the Derrick City Volunteer Fire Department, Bradford City EMS, Bradford City ambulance and Foster Township Police will be meet with Otto and Knapp Creek, N.Y., emergency officials, Scrivo said.
Scrivo said she encourages people who know of individuals with strong cardiac history, long-standing breathing problems or special needs children to provide that information to the township fire department to be used as part of the planning process. She indicated such information would be helpful with emergency response.
Meanwhile, for the two bridges over Foster Brook, temporary traffic signals will be set up, and traffic will be down to one lane, Dressler said. The general contractor on those two projects is A.L. Blades.
Work on the first bridge is slated to start next month and be completed in June; the second bridge is scheduled to begin in June and be finished in November.
Construction is being planned over a period of five to six months, though some bridges that are part of the Pennsylvania Rapid Bridge Replacement Project have been completed in four months, he said. All of the bridges will be widened and longer in case of increased future activity in the area, Dressler said.
Walsh Infrastructure Management will maintain the bridges for 25 years. He said the bridges are built to last 100 years.
