Flooding Delays Completion of New Route 23 Bridge
The reopening of the bridge carrying Route 23 (Marietta Avenue) over Chickies Creek, located at the East Donegal-West Hempfield township line in Lancaster County, has been delayed until November. The bridge was previously scheduled to be completed in October. However, more flooding at the bridge site has adversely affected the construction schedule.
Motorists will continue to be detoured around the bridge closure by way of Route 441 (Chickies Hill Road), Route 30, and Prospect Road (State Route 4001) until the new bridge opens.
In the event of more unfavorable weather or unforeseen activities, this schedule may still change.
This bridge is referred to as JV-253 and is one out of the 558 bridges being replaced under the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project. JV references the joint-venture partnership between Walsh/Granite, which is leading construction for the entire project.
The Rapid Bridge Replacement Project is a public-private partnership (P3) between PennDOT and Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners (PWKP), under which PWKP will finance, design, replace, and maintain the bridges for 25 years. The P3 approach will allow PennDOT to replace the bridges more quickly while achieving significant savings and minimizing impact on motorists.
To see the bridges included in the statewide initiative and to learn more about the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project, visit www.parapidbridges.com. Additional information on P3 programs in Pennsylvania can be found at www.p3forpa.pa.gov or by calling the project hotline at 877-444-9990 or email info@parapidbridges.com.