Work began this week to replace the 95-year-old bridge that carries Route 62 over Lenhart Run and to pave more than 4 miles of Route 62 in Pleasant Township, Warren County.

The project will include the resurfacing 4.08 miles of Route 62 from to 5 miles north of Cobham Hill Road (Hedgehog Run) to 2.5 miles south of the intersection with Route 6. Additionally, the single-span concrete tee-beam bridge, which is located south of the Route 6 and Route 62 interchange near Grunderville Road, will be replaced with a precast reinforced concrete box culvert.

Additional work will include waterproofing, drainage updates, and guide rail improvements.

Work began Monday, July 24, 2023, and the new bridge is expected to be opened by November 2023.

The existing bridge was built in 1928, rehabilitated in 1976, and is classified in poor condition. The bridge had been posted with a weight limit and reduced to a single lane across the structure controlled by a temporary signal. Approximately 1,000 vehicles used the bridge on average with 19% of the vehicles being trucks.

One lane of the bridge will remain open during the majority of the project with use of a temporary signal.

A one-day detour will be used on Saturday, August 26, 2023, and Saturday, September 30, 2023. The 38-mile car detour will be posted using Route 62, Route 127, Tidioute Creek Road (Route 3009), Route 27, and Route 6. The 68-mile truck detour will use Route 62, Route 36, Route 27, and Route 6.

The contractor is IA Construction Corporation, of Franklin, PA. The contract cost is $4,708,778, which is to be paid using both state and federal funding.

This project is funded, in part, through bridge funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). In 2022 alone, the BIL is bringing approximately $20.5 million in additional funding to the northwest region to be allocated by the department and its local Metropolitan and Rural Planning Organization (MPO/RPO) partners. In the northwest region, the planning partners are the Erie Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the Shenango Valley MPO, and the Northwest Rural Planning Organization (RPO), for projects in Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango and Warren counties.

This year PennDOT's Northwest Region expects to do work on more than 100 projects. To see a full listing of all the anticipated work, check out the 2023 Construction Book located under the Resources tab online at www.penndot.pa.gov/District1.

PennDOT urges motorists to slow down when driving in work zones, and also to be alert to changing conditions, avoid distractions and to pay attention to signs and flaggers. Drive responsibly in work zones for your safety and the safety of the workers.

Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties at www.penndot.gov/District1.

Information about infrastructure in District 1, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.gov/D1Results. Find PennDOT's planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.

Follow local PennDOT news on Twitter and like the department on Facebook.

Contact: Saxon Daugherty, sadaughert@pa.gov or 814-678-7095