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Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing the long-term closure of the New Kensington Bridge which carries Route 1038 over the Allegheny River in East Deer Township in Allegheny County and the City of New Kensington in Westmoreland County, will begin Monday, July 24 weather permitting.

Beginning at approximately 9 a.m. Monday morning, the New Kensington Bridge will close to all vehicular traffic continuously through Monday, September 4. Crews will conduct dam and bearing replacement, latex overlay, paving operations, and other miscellaneous construction activities. Traffic will be detoured.

Posted Detours

North of the Closure

• Take Freeport Road (Route 1001) northbound

• Freeport Road becomes West 7th Avenue (Route 1001)

• Turn right onto Route 366 and cross the Tarentum Bridge

• Continue straight on Route 366 toward New Kensington onto Stevenson Boulevard

• Turn right onto Seventh Street (Route 56)

• Turn right onto Industrial Boulevard (Truck Route 56)

• Follow Industrial Boulevard back to the New Kensington Bridge

• End detour

South of the Closure

• From the New Kensington Bridge, take Industrial Boulevard (Truck Route 56) eastbound

• Turn left onto Seventh Street (Route 56)

• Turn left onto Stevenson Boulevard (Route 366)

• Bear right toward Route 366 Tarentum onto Tarentum Bridge Road

• Cross the Tarentum Bridge

• Turn left onto East 7th Avenue (Route 1001)

• East 7th Avenue becomes West 7th Avenue (Route 1001)

• West 7th Avenue becomes Freeport Road (Route 1001)

• Follow Freeport Road southbound back to the New Kensington Bridge

• End detour

Additionally, 10th Street which runs under the eastern side of the New Kensington Bridge in the City of New Kensington will close to traffic during the same time period for bearing replacement and structure painting work. 

The sidewalk on the bridge will remain open for pedestrian access during the closure.

Elite Coach Transportation, Inc. will provide a temporary construction shuttle service during the bridge closure. The hours of service will be posted at each location and copies will be provided on the buses. The shuttle service will be in the following locations:

• The New Kensington Center City Plaza

• The Tarentum Park and Ride

• Citizens Plaza Apartments

For any questions or comments on the construction shuttle service, please contact the Elite Coach Transportation office Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 724-325-2626.

This $24.59 million New Kensington / C.L. Schmitt Bridge preservation projects began in March 2023. The bridge, which spans both East Deer Township, Allegheny County and the City of New Kensington, Westmoreland County will undergo a latex overlay, several structural steel repairs, concrete substructure repairs, full painting of the existing superstructure, expansion dam replacement, installation of new light poles and luminaries, and minor approach roadway work. As work occurs this year, motorists can expect a lane width reduction along with flagging operations within the work zone. The overall completion date is expected to be in the fall of 2024.

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 Allegheny, Beaver, and Lawrence counties at www.penndot.gov/District11.

Information about infrastructure in District 11, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.gov/D11Results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.

Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PennDOTNewsand like the department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaDepartmentofTransportationand Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/pennsylvaniadot/.

Contact: Steve Cowan, 412-429-5010

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