Fourteen bridges in Beaver County, Pa., are to be replaced by the end of 2017, with three of those projects to commence in July.
The three bridges have been in use for a combined 240 years, which underscores the need for immediate repairs and upgrades to those structures.
The projects are a part of PennDOT’s Rapid Bridge Replacement Project, an $899 million program that will see more than 500 bridges across Pennsylvania replaced within the next 36 months.
The program, a public-private partnership between PennDOT and private contractor Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners, includes 11 subcontractors that will work on the bridges.
Although specifics haven’t been released on costs for each bridge, PennDOT previously estimated the average cost per bridge is around $1.6 million for construction and maintenance.
PennDOT has previously said Pennsylvania has 25,000 bridges owned by the state, the third-largest number in the entire country. However, the state leads the nation in the number of bridges classified as structurally deficient, while the average age of those bridges is more than 50 years old. The state is estimated to have about 4,000 structurally deficient bridges.
