ROBESON TWP, Pa.- Drivers in Robeson Township are dealing with confusion after a bridge closure along Route 724.
The bridge is now shut down as PennDOT replaces the structure over Allegheny Creek.
That’s forcing drivers to find other ways around, and many are ending up on Old River Road. But township officials say that’s exactly what they don’t want.
“We don’t want to have happen at the Old River Road Bridge what happened at Rock Hollow, where people were removing barricades and ignoring warnings not to use it. Then the bridge became completely unusable for first responders and for everybody,” said Robeson Township Manager Osmer Deming.
Officials say the Old River Road bridge is already in rough shape.
“This has been downgraded to a level one bridge, which means it’s the lowest rating that an engineer can assign to a bridge. You can see it’s made of steel and parts of it are deteriorating,” Deming said.
They warn that too much traffic could make things worse.
“The worst-case scenario is that the bridge would basically crumble and become unusable,” Deming added.
Drivers are being rerouted along Gibraltar Road and West 47th Street, then onto Route 422 and Interstate 176.
Truck traffic is being directed to use Route 345 before reconnecting with 422 and I-176.
Deming says the detour may add a few extra minutes, but it’s the safest option.
“I drove into work this morning through Exeter, turning right there. It wasn’t that difficult. Maybe a few minutes to my trip, so that’s really the way to go right now,” he said.
PennDOT says the new bridge project is expected to be finished by October.