The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is alerting motorists they have begun using a one-lane temporary roadway near the village of Westline in McKean County.

The temporary roadway will carry traffic around a Westline Road (Route 3006) bridge spanning Kinzua Creek while it is demolished and replaced. The project will upgrade the status of the bridge from “poor” to “good” and provide a new structure that will be in service for decades.

Work on this project will be done in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and state Department of Health guidance as well as a project-specific COVID-19 safety plan, which will include protocols for social distancing, use of face coverings, personal and job site cleaning protocols, management of entries to the job site and relevant training.

The contractor began with excavation and erosion and sedimentation controls in mid-February.

Temporary traffic signals became operational March 5, and they will continue to enforce an alternating traffic pattern across the temporary roadway. This traffic pattern will remain in effect for the duration of the project.

Overall work will include removal of the existing bridge, construction of the new bridge, roadway reconstruction, drainage upgrades, guide rail replacement and miscellaneous items.

PennDOT expects the new bridge to be open to traffic in the fall of 2020, with placement of an epoxy overlay and seeding taking place next spring. PennDOT reminds drivers to use caution in and around work zones, obey posted speed limits, and always buckle up.