August 10, 2018
A Route 45 (Penns Valley Road) bridge, which spans Pine Creek in Haines Township, Centre County, reopened to traffic today. This bridge was replaced as part of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's (PennDOT) Rapid Bridge Replacement Project. Replacing the bridge removes it from the list of bridges in “poor” condition.
With the bridge reopened, motorists may notice a slight bump as they drive across the bridge until a polyester polymer concrete (PPC) overlay is applied to the deck. This is often the final step in completing box beam bridge projects. The PPC overlay is designed to protect the deck from the wear and tear brought about by Pennsylvania’s harsh winters and reduce the long-term maintenance costs.
The polyester material can only be applied when temperatures are consistently above 40 degrees, dry weather is forecasted and after the bridge concrete has cured for at least 30 days. An alternating traffic pattern will be controlled by flaggers when the PPC overlay is applied this summer.
To find out when the overlay will be applied to this structure, visit www.parapidbridges.com/polyesterpolymerconcreteoverlay.html. In the event of unfavorable weather, this schedule may change. Any such changes will be posted on the website.
This bridge is referred to as JV-26 and is one out of the 558 bridges being replaced under the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project. JV references the joint-venture partnership between Walsh/Granite, which is leading construction for the entire project. Replacement work for this bridge was performed by Walsh Construction II.