Part Of PA Turnpike To Close Completely This Weekend

PENNSYLVANIA — A portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike will be completely closed for 55 hours starting this Friday and going through Monday morning, according to the Turnpike Commission.

The closure is planned between the Lehigh Valley Interchange (Exit 56) and the Mahoning Valley Interchange (Exit 74) as well as on the PA Turnpike’s Northeastern Extension (I-476) from Sept. 6 to 9.

The roadway will be closed in both directions starting at 9 p.m. and going through 4 a.m. on Sept 9.

The closure is needed for bridge work.

Crews will be demolishing the current bridge that carries the Turnpike over State Route 309 in South Whitehall Township at milepost A58.88 and replacing it with a new steel superstructure.

"The construction technique being used, Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC), eliminates the need for months or years of single-lane traffic patterns and other motorist restrictions by closing that part of the roadway for a limited period over a weekend," the Turnpike Commission said.

The new superstructure, which has been under construction since 2018, is being built near the existing bridge. The 90-foot long bridge opened to traffic on April 1, 1957 and currently carries roughly 30,000 vehicles per day.

A detour of I-476 will be in place in both directions. State Route 309, located beneath the bridge, will also be closed between Chapmans Road and Snowdrift Road.

"Motorists are urged to avoid the area if possible, but if traveling in this region, drivers should pay close attention to the orange and black directional signs," the commission said.

Here are the detour details:

SOUTHBOUND DETOUR - LOCAL TRAFFIC:

Exit at Mahoning Valley Exit #74 and take U.S. Route 209 North to State Route 33 South (21.2 miles). Follow Route 33 South to U.S. Route 22 West (18.4 miles). Follow U.S. 22 West and reenter I-476 South at Lehigh Valley Interchange #56 (15.8 miles).

SOUTHBOUND DETOUR - THROUGH TRAFFIC:

Exit at Pocono Exit #95 and take Interstate 80 East to State Route 33 South (25.5 miles). Follow State Route 33 South to U.S. Route 22 West (23.6 miles). Follow U.S. Route 22 West and reenter I-476 South at Lehigh Valley Interchange Exit #56 (15.8 miles).

NORTHBOUND TRAFFIC:

Exit at Lehigh Valley Exit #56 and take U.S. Route 22 East to State Route 33 North (16.5 miles). Follow State Route 33 North to Interstate 80 West (24.5 miles). Follow Interstate 80 West and reenter I-476 at Pocono Interchange Exit #95 (25.1 miles).

STATE ROUTE 309 DETOUR:

SR 309 will be closed at the Turnpike overpass between Chapmans Road and Snowdrift Road. Motorists will be directed to Route 22 and Route 100.

This bridge replacement is part of the accelerated bridge construction (ABC) program, which employs construction methods and materials in a safe, cost-effective way to reduce the time it takes compared to traditional bridge-replacement techniques. With ABC, traffic impacts occur over a single weekend instead of nine to 18 months of intermittent traffic disruptions.