PennDOT Traffic Advisory- August 25, 2012

PennDOT Traffic Advisory

Aug. 22, 2012

PennDOT to Remove Bridge over I-83 Near Harrisburg, Aug. 25I-83 to be Detoured through Lemoyne Saturday Night into Sunday

Harrisburg – PennDOT District 8 today announced that on Aug. 25 crews will begin to remove the bridge that originally carried Lowther Street over Interstate 83 in Lemoyne Borough, Cumberland County. A temporary structure was set in place on July 21 to carry Lowther Street over I-83 while the existing bridge is demolished and a new bridge is built.

This work is part of a nearly $8 million contract that was awarded March 28 to Susquehanna Valley Construction Corporation of New Cumberland, Cumberland County, and includes: installation of a temporary bridge, removal of the existing Lowther Street bridge, and construction of a new two-span bridge large enough to accommodate four lanes of mainline I-83 as well as three ramps underneath with 20-feet 10-inches of vertical under clearance.

PennDOT advises motorists traveling I-83 and Route 581 in Lemoyne that Aug. 25, weather permitting, they will first encounter a traffic shift and single-lane restrictions in each direction after 9 p.m. followed by a six-hour overnight detour starting around 11 p.m. as crews begin removal of the Lowther Street bridge over I-83. The detour will be in place until 5 a.m. the following morning. However single-lane restrictions may remain in place until 6 a.m. for the removal of barricades and signs.

I-83 North will be directed off at Brandt Avenue, turn right onto Lowther Street through Lemoyne back to I-83 North. I-83 North traffic headed to Route 581 West will also follow Brandt Avenue to Lowther Street and continue on I-83 North across the Susquehanna River into Harrisburg and be directed off at Exit 44-A for 13th Street to I-83 South back across the Susquehanna River to Route 581 West.

I-83 South will be directed off at Exit 42 for Lemoyne, follow Lowther Street over the interstate, turn left at 10th Street and back to I-83 South.

Route 581 East traffic headed to I-83 South will be directed to I-83 North to Exit 41-B for Highland Park, turn right onto Lowther Street through Lemoyne over the interstate and turn left at 10th Street to I-83 South.

Throughout the course of construction it will be necessary to detour I-83 traffic on five occasions: to set the temporary structure, to demolish the existing bridge, twice to set new bridge beams, and finally to remove the temporary structure. PennDOT will issue travel advisories when this work is scheduled.

The existing single-span concrete bridge that carries Lowther Street over I-83 was built in 1952 and is considered functionally obsolete. This structure is a major contributing factor to the bottleneck on I-83 North approaching the City of Harrisburg and Route 581 West. I-83 cannot be widened until this structure is removed.

Once the original structure is demolished a new bridge will be constructed over I-83. 

PennDOT expects work on the new Lowther Street bridge to be completed by the end of May 2013.

For more information on the Lowther Street bridge replacement project over I-83 in Lemoyne go to www.penndot8.com.