The much-anticipated construction of the Brownshill Road Bridge in O'Hara is scheduled to begin this year.
Cost is about $1 million. Work will replace the structurally deficient 33.7-foot steel and concrete span that has become a maintenance hassle.
The bridge, which is off Saxonburg Boulevard, remains open.
Its replacement will be built with pre-stressed concrete beams and will increase the hydraulic opening for East Little Pine Creek, Township Engineer Chuck Steinert said.
The bridge will have increased load capacity and will be safer, Township Manager Julie Jakubec said. It will have two 11-foot lanes and five-foot shoulders.
Council has been planning to replace the bridge for at least five years.
“We hope to have the project advertised in the spring for replacement in the 2018 construction season,” Steinert said.
Steinert said annual repairs on the bridge were costing the township up to $12,000.
The bridge will reduce maintenance costs for the township and it will be built wide enough to fit two vehicles. The bridge now can fit only one at a time.
Work will require realignment of a portion of the road. Any closures will be posted in advance of the project.
Tawnya Panizzi is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. Reach her at 412-782-2121, ext. 2, tpanizzi@tribweb.com or @tawnyatrib.
