Kathy Liebler

Manager, Public Affairs & Media Relations


C  O  M  M  I  S  S  I  O  N       N  E  W  S       R  E  L  E  A  S  E

Contact:  

Carl DeFebo, 717-939-9551, extension 2934 (Harrisburg)
Joe Agnello, 724-755-5262 (New Stanton)

October 16, 2001

 

URGENT TRAVEL ADVISORY:
PA Turnpike Plans Early Morning Shutdown 
During Implosion of Somerset County Bridge
 

The Pennsylvania Turnpike will be completely shutdown for 3.5 hours between Interchange 10 (Somerset) and Interchange 11 (Bedford) during the early morning of Sunday, Oct. 21.

Westbound motorists will be detoured off the Turnpike at the Bedford Interchange beginning at 1:40 a.m.; eastbound motorists will be detoured off the Turnpike at the Somerset Interchange beginning at 1:30 a.m. A single lane in each direction will be restored by 5 a.m.; all lanes will reopen by 10 a.m. on Sunday.

During the shutdown, exiting motorists will receive an alternate-route card — featuring directions to get back onto the Turnpike — from a toll collector. Motorists traveling through the area should use caution and remain alert for sudden stoppages during the shutdown.

Although eastbound access to and from the Somerset south service plaza will be prohibited during this time, all services will remain in operation during the shutdown for customers who wish to wait at the plaza.

During the closure, crews will implode the concrete bridge at milepost 116 that carried Dominion Road, Stony Creek Township, over the Pike. The blast will likely occur sometime between 2:45 and 3:15 a.m. A 1,000-foot clear zone will be maintained during the blast. This is a weather-sensitive operation and may be postponed in case of lightning or high winds.

The bridge is being eliminated as part of a Turnpike reconstruction project that began in Somerset this summer. An additional shutdown — to allow for the demolition of two other Somerset County bridges — is scheduled for 1-5 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28.

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 P.O. Box 67676, Harrisburg, PA 17106-7676         Phone: (717) 939-9551         Fax: (717) 986-9649