CLEARFIELD – Construction for a second bridge on Route 155 (Turtle Point-Larabee Road) in McKean County is scheduled to begin soon as part of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s Rapid Bridge Replacement Project.
The bridge spans Rock Run, about 3 miles southeast of the village of Larabee on Route 155. Replacing this bridge will allow PennDOT to remove it from McKean County’s structurally deficient bridge list, officials say. The existing 33-foot bridge dates from 1924 and carries an average of almost 2,400 vehicles each day.
Construction is expected to begin during the week of July 17 and be complete in mid-August.
The contractor will finish another bridge (JV-64) at the intersection of Sartwell Road on Route 155 prior to moving operations to the southern bridge. During replacement of the second bridge, drivers will continue to follow a detour along U.S. Route 6, Route 46 (Smethport-Farmers Valley Road), and Route 446 (Farmers Valley-Eldred Road).
In the event of unfavorable weather or unforeseen activities, this schedule may change, officials say.
This bridge is referred to as JV-63 and is one out of the 558 bridges being replaced under the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project. JV references the joint-venture partnership between Walsh/Granite, which is leading construction for the entire project.
The Rapid Bridge Replacement Project is a public-private partnership between PennDOT and Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners, under which PWKP will finance, design, replace, and maintain the bridges for 25 years. The P3 approach will allow PennDOT to replace the bridges more quickly while achieving significant savings and minimizing impacts on motorists.
