WARREN — The USDA Forest Service announced that the Longhouse Scenic Drive in the Allegheny National Forest will be temporarily closed to through-traffic for three additional days. The road is closed from just south of the entrance to Elijah Run Boat Launch to just north of the entrance to Kiasutha Recreation Area. Weather-related delays will keep the closure in place through Friday.
The road closure is necessary to allow the construction contractor to replace under-road culverts crucial for water passage. The previous through-traffic road construction closure on Longhouse Scenic Drive between Dewdrop Campground and Elijah Run Boat Launch ended three days ahead of schedule Sept. 6, 2024.
During construction, all recreation sites served by Longhouse Scenic Drive are planned to remain open for their respective seasons as scheduled. Access to Forest Roads 141 and 110 will remain open during construction. During the Sept. 10 to Oct. 18 closure, to reach the Trails at Jakes Rocks or the Elijah Run Boat Launch please drive south from the intersection of State Route 59 and Longhouse Scenic Drive. To reach Kiasutha Recreation Area please drive north from the intersection of Longhouse Scenic Drive and State Route 321.
The temporary closure is part of an ongoing, multi-year, road reconstruction deferred maintenance project funded by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA). The project is being accomplished via an interagency agreement between the Allegheny National Forest and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District. The $12.3 million contract was awarded to Bob Cummins Construction of Bradford, Pennsylvania. The project includes 156 under-road culvert replacements, installation of two aquatic organism passages, and the rehabilitation of 11 miles of two-lane paved road.
