Slabtown Bridge Replacement under Design; Flood-Damaged Bridge Removed

Montoursville - Here's a detailed update on PennDOT's plans to replace the Route 973 Slabtown Bridge in Lycoming County. The bridge was damaged beyond repair during Tropical Storm Lee flooding in September.

At a glance:

*       Shortly after the flood, PennDOT bridge-inspection divers determined that the undermining (of the bridge sections that remained standing after the floodwaters receded) was too severe to allow the remaining portions of the bridge to stay in place.

*       PennDOT District 3-0 subsequently developed an emergency bridge-removal contract, which is currently under way and nearing completion.

*       Design and other pre-construction activities for the new bridge, which will be built on the same alignment, are in progress under an accelerated schedule.

*       Construction of the new bridge is expected to start in the spring of 2012.

*       An aggressive construction schedule will be established to complete construction of the new bridge and open it to traffic by early 2013.

*       With the closure of the bridge, an approximately 12-mile detour was implemented to maintain Route 973 traffic (using Route 87, Loyalsock Avenue and Broad Street in Montoursville, and Warrensville Road). This detour will be maintained until the new bridge is opened.

Following are considerations for maintaining Route 973 traffic:

*       Options for temporarily maintaining traffic across Loyalsock Creek (until the new permanent bridge can be constructed) were considered, including a temporary bridge that would serve all traffic and a temporary low-flow crossing, or a temporary pedestrian bridge that would serve emergency service providers.

However, locating any temporary crossing over Loyalsock Creek would be difficult at this site, due to its terrain and other features (i.e., the high stream banks, close proximity to Route 87).

In particular, to be in service while the new permanent bridge is built, a temporary bridge could not be installed on or near the location of the existing bridge (to accommodate the new bridge construction on the existing bridge alignment). A temporary bridge would therefore require significant roadway work on its west approach (including modifications/connections to Wallis Run Road upstream or the PA Game Commission road downstream) and could impact private property.

Furthermore, to provide a safe crossing for motorists, a temporary bridge would need to be designed and constructed in much the same manner as the new permanent structure. Considering the size of the crossing, design and construction would take several months, and therefore a temporary bridge likely could not be opened until mid-2012.

Considering the issues associated with the above options, it was determined that the most feasible method of maintaining Route 973 traffic is using the detour currently in effect, while focusing efforts and resources on the timely permanent replacement of the bridge in order to minimize the duration of the detour.

Lycoming County staff, local municipal officials and Montoursville School District staff have indicated that they have no significant concerns with this approach. In particular, Lycoming County Emergency Management staff has indicated that local emergency service providers have mutual-aid agreements in place to provide emergency service coverage for the surrounding area until the new bridge is open to traffic.