Route 50 bridge replacement over Millers Run to begin in June
Drivers may barely notice the bridge over Millers Run on Route 50 in Cecil Township.
Still, the thousands of motorists who take the bridge every day soon have to find a detour during a construction project on the bridge that’s slated to start in June and continue through September.
“So it’s coming to the end of its lifespan, and it’s time that it get replaced,” said Jeff Rossi, public information coordinator for Walsh/Granite Joint Venture, which is leading construction.
Rossi spoke to residents during a public meeting Tuesday during which members of the public could ask company representatives about their plans. The project is part of a public-private partnership, or P3, between Walsh and the state Department of Transportation.
The Millers Run bridge, built in 1934, will be replaced with a new 73-foot bridge will have two 11-foot lanes with at least four feet of shoulder on one side and seven on the other.
It is one of 558 structurally deficient bridges statewide being replaced by 2018 in a public-private partnership between the state and Plenary Walsh Keystone Partnership. The state awarded an $899 million contract to the company in 2014.
The tentative start date for the Millers Run project – pending the relocation of nearby gas and water lines – is June 19, Rossi said. The company expects to reopen the bridge to traffic Sept. 10.
Walsh project engineer Justin Burdette said about 6,200 vehicles pass over the bridge every day.
While the work is underway, Rossi said the official 6.75-mile posted detour – which must use only state roads – will follow Route 980 and Muse-Bishop Road.
Rossi said signs announcing the pending closure will be posted two weeks ahead of time.
People trickled in and out during the informal meeting. Most viewed the closure as a minor inconvenience.
“It’s not going to affect me daily as such,” said township resident Dennis Berty, 63, “but I’m also with the fire department, so it’s going to be something to drive around.”