PennDOT says it is going to start offering daily e-mail updates on its $18 million project to renovate the Boston Bridge.
Work on the span began two weeks ago. Irregular scheduling of overnight detours related to the work has confused some motorists who use the bridge regularly.
"We understand how important that bridge is to the local community and we want to do everything we can to keep them informed," PennDOT spokesman Jim Struzzi said on Monday.
Anyone who wants to receive day-to-day updates on the status of the bridge from PennDOT should contact Struzzi by e-mail at jstruzzi@state.pa.us. Write "Subscribe Boston Bridge" in the subject line of the e-mail.
When PennDOT announced its schedule for the project earlier this month, the department said drivers normally traveling northbound across the bridge from Boston to Versailles could expect detours between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. on weekdays through late November.
Since the work started, however, the detour has not been in effect every weeknight. Struzzi said weather has been a factor in the decision to leave the bridge open to both lanes on certain nights.
The bridge is expected to be open to both lanes of traffic overnight tonight and Wednesday. The northbound detour is expected to be back in effect on Thursday evening.
The e-mail updates should be welcome relief for motorists confused by the roadwork schedule.
Business owners on both sides of the bridge say they've seen signs of uncertainty coming from drivers.
"People don't know if it's open or closed," said Dan Antonelli, co-owner of Woody's Italian restaurant on the Versailles side of the bridge. "They're avoiding the area because they don't know what's going on."
Antonelli said people have misunderstandings about the scope of the work.
He said detour signs posted by PennDOT on roads leading to the bridge leave much to be desired and have caused motorists to believe the bridge is closed at times when it is actually open.
Debra Marnell, assistant manager of the BP gas station in Boston, said she's had drivers stop in asking for directions.
"The first week a lot of customers were asking, 'How do I get back over there?'" to the other side of the bridge, Marnell said.
The official northbound detour for normal traffic into McKeesport is a 12.7-mile route through Lincoln, Liberty and Port Vue down to W. Fifth Avenue.
The initial phase of construction is expected to last through the end of November, with crews working both overnight and during the day.
No work is scheduled to occur from December until early March.
In March, work crews will return for two months of overnight work on the sidewalks and for painting.
From May until August next year, the project calls for overnight closures of both lanes and daylight detours of the northbound lane for the first two months of that period and detours of the southbound lane for the following two months.
Work during that time is expected to be seven days a week and 12 weekend closures of the bridge are expected.
The bridge is not expected to be closed to foot traffic at any time during the project.
Trumbull Corp. of Pittsburgh is general contractor for the project.
Antonelli said he is concerned that the work from May to August will affect his bottom line.
So far, he estimates he's had a 20 percent drop in business at the restaurant due to the closure, though he noted there has been an uptick in sales before 7 p.m., possibly as a result of customers trying to get home before the scheduled construction detours begin.
Because Woody's is on the northbound side of the bridge, he said, concerns about being done with dinner before the detour starts are unfounded.
Customers who live in Elizabeth Township or points south can leave and drive across the bridge just as they normally would, he said.
Antonelli also said he's noticed customers of his restaurant and other businesses in Versailles parking in Boston and walking across the bridge.
Marnell said evenings have been slower at the gas station after 7 p.m. on nights the detour has been in effect.
