GVF Transportation - Creating Partnerships - News - I 76 Weekend Long Lane Closure

FIRST OF 12 WEEKEND-LONG LANE CLOSURES ON

I-76 AT UNIVERSITY AVENUE SCHEDULED OCT. 10-13

MOTORISTS URGED TO USE ALTERNATE ROUTES TO AVOID MAJOR DELAYS DUE TO SINGLE-LANE TRAFFIC PATTERN

VARE AVENUE RAMP TO I-76 WEST TO CLOSE FIRST WEEKEND

PHILADELPHIA - The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced that westbound Interstate 76 in Philadelphia will be restricted to one lane at the University Avenue/Grays Ferry Avenue Interchange (Exit 346B) from 10 p.m. Friday, October 10 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 13 for the placement of a new concrete surface on the adjoining nine-span and 16-span bridges carrying the expressway over the Schuylkill River, CSX railroad tracks, Grays Ferry Avenue and 34th Street.

The second weekend in October marks the first of three weekends this year when westbound I-76 will be down to one lane for the placement of a new concrete overlay on the two bridges. The single-lane westbound pattern also will occur the weekends of October 31-November 3 and November 7-10. In 2009, I-76 will be down to one lane on nine weekends.

Weather permitting, crews will work weekends to replace expansion joints, remove one inch of old concrete pavement from the bridges and place a new one-inch concrete overlay on the structures. The concrete resurfacing and joint replacements will make the bridge decks water tight and extend the life of the decks 25 years.

"Closing a lane on the Schuylkill Expressway for an entire weekend is certainly out of the ordinary, but there isn't enough room on the bridges to resurface the decks safely without closing a travel lane," PennDOT District Executive Lester C. Toaso said.

Toaso urged motorists to use SEPTA or take alternate routes instead of traveling on I-76 in this part of the city to avoid lengthy backups and delays during the work weekends.

He recommended that drivers, especially those coming from the sports complex in South Philadelphia, follow Interstate 95 North to Interstate 676 West to reach I-76 in Philadelphia, or take I-95 South to Interstate 476 North to arrive at I-76 in Montgomery County.

"Motorists need to find another way to travel through the city on the selected weekends when I-76 is down to one lane at University Avenue," Toaso said. "We will utilize our message boards and coordinate with our transportation partners to notify drivers of the single-lane condition so they can choose to take an alternate route.

"We are scheduling the work weekends as best as possible to avoid major events in the city and at the sports complex in South Philadelphia," he added. "With the Phillies playoff run starting this afternoon, we'll be monitoring the Phillies' home dates to determine if work schedule adjustments need to be made."

PennDOT will have a tow truck on site throughout the work weekends to assist stranded motorists and to quickly remove disabled vehicles from the I-76 construction area.

In conjunction with the bridge operation, the Vare Avenue ramp to westbound I-76 will close from 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9 to 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 13 because the ramp enters the expressway on the structure over Grays Ferry Avenue. A posted detour will take motorists over University Avenue, 38th Street, Market Street and Schuylkill Avenue to reach I-76 West.

In 2009, I-76 will be down to one lane in one direction at the University Avenue/Grays Ferry Avenue Interchange on nine weekends to complete the concrete resurfacing of the bridges. Eastbound I-76 will be reduced to one lane on three weekends in the spring and three weekends in the fall; westbound I-76 will be down to one lane on three weekends in the fall.

The concrete resurfacing operation is part of PennDOT's $24 million project to rehabilitate and repair the two bridges. Construction began last March and is scheduled to finish in October 2009. The improvements consist of structural steel repair and painting; bridge wall replacement; and bridge deck repair and resurfacing.

Toaso said both bridges were in serious need of attention due to the deteriorated condition of their bridge decks, steel beams and related structural components that support the roadway. Both bridges were categorized as structurally deficient.

Built in the mid-1950s, the I-76 Bridge over Schuylkill River is 1,750 feet long and the I-76 Bridge over Grays Ferry Avenue is 1,630 feet long. Both bridges are 64 feet wide. The bridges carry two lanes of eastbound and westbound traffic.

I-76 carries 129,000 vehicles a day in the area of the University Avenue/Grays Ferry Avenue Interchange. The expressway's posted advisory speed in the construction zone is 40 miles per hour.

Buckley and Company of Philadelphia is the general contractor on the $23,949,427 million project that is financed with 90 percent federal and 10 state funds.