Media & Public Relations

Turnpike Bridge Work in Cumberland County to Cause Delays Tonight and Tomorrow Night

Nighttime traffic paces planned between Blue Mountain and Carlisle Exits July 8 and 9

HARRISBURG, PA (07/08/2009)(readMedia)-- Motorists travelling the Pennsylvania Turnpike should be aware of intermittent traffic delays with possible stoppages tonight (July 8) and tomorrow night (July 9) between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. as Pennsylvania State Police conduct a series of traffic-pace operations to enable construction crews to set concrete beams for a new Cumberland County bridge.

The traffic paces - during which state police cruisers drive side-by-side on the Turnpike to slow down traffic to about 25 miles an hour - will be held tonight in both eastbound and westbound lanes and tomorrow night for westbound traffic only.

Five eastbound paces each lasting no more than 30 minutes will occur on the Turnpike tonight between 11 p.m. and to 7 a.m. tomorrow. The eastbound paces will begin at milepost 201 near the Blue Mountain Exit. One westbound pace, starting at milepost 226 near the Carlisle Exit, will also be conducted tonight sometime between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

On Thursday, July 9, five westbound-only traffic paces will occur on the Turnpike between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. Friday. The 30-minute westbound paces will start at the Carlisle Exit near milepost 226. No eastbound paces are planned for Thursday into Friday.

During the paces, a single-lane closure for both eastbound and westbound traffic will be in place at the bridge, which carries Old Mill Road over the Turnpike. The bridge is located in West Pennsboro Township at milepost 217.80 approximately 1 mile west of the Turnpike's Plainfield Service Plaza.

The general contractor, New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co., is rebuilding the bridge as part of a $9.9 million contract that represents the initial phase of the future total reconstruction and six-lane widening of the mainline between milepost 215 and 221. The traffic paces allow the contractor a brief window to safely complete the overhead beam placements without jeopardizing motorists or workers. The Turnpike conducts pacing maneuvers in certain situations as an alternative to total stoppages.

###