A majority of the three-year rehabilitation of Pittsburgh’s Liberty Bridge has been completed, according to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) officials.
Drivers, however, should anticipate periodic single-lane restrictions through late January as crews continue to make various minor improvements to the bridge, its sidewalks and infrastructure. Remaining tasks include sealing sidewalks and replacing a damaged pedestrian railing on Boulevard of the Allies which was hit by a motorist last month. The railing had been installed for about a month before it was hit. PennDOT has said it will seek reimbursement for the $30,000 new railing from the driver who hit it.
The whole project was originally scheduled to be completed in July. Unforeseen steel repairs, added sidewalk work and bird-screen installation pushed the end date to Aug. 26. Back in September 2016, the bridge caught fire and was closed for weeks.
The rehabilitation project’s price tag has climbed to $81.8 million—up from its original estimate of $80.1 million when the project began in August 2015. PennDOT added work to the project’s scope, including installing large concrete blocks known as a pedestal extensions to the bridge support system on Boulevard of the Allies. The extensions will require trucks to make larger turns to avoid hitting the bridge structure.
The bridge is used by about 42,000 vehicles a day, according to PennDOT records.
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Source: Trib Live
