PENNSYLVANIA Project to correct danger at bridge's stream crossing

Work on the project should begin in the spring and finish in 2006.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation wants to raise the level of the Lamor Road bridge over Pine Hollow Run 60 feet above the stream bed.
The higher bridge is part of the state's final version of how to correct what locals say is a dangerous half-mile section of Lamor just west of Pa. Route 18.
PennDOT came up with four alternatives two years ago on how to improve the stretch of two-lane road that drops about 75 feet into a narrow ravine, crosses Pine Hollow Run on a bridge just 26 feet wide and then climbs back out of the ravine, all in a relatively sharp double S-curve.
Dean Collins, PennDOT project manager, said a final version of how the road can be improved was presented in a public hearing at the municipal building Wednesday.
The final version still carries an estimated $3 million price, he said.
What it calls for
It calls for taking one house at the corner of Lamor and Trout Island roads on the east side of the ravine and two houses on the south side of Lamor Road atop the west side of the ravine.
That will allow the entire road to be shifted to the south so it can be straightened to reduce the sharp curves.
The steep drop into the ravine will be eliminated by building a longer concrete bridge with its deck 60 feet above the stream bed. The current bridge is about six feet above the stream bed.
The idea is to keep the road crossing the ravine as flat as possible, Collins said.
The state tried to take all public concerns into account in the final proposal, he said.
The bridge concrete will be stamped to appear like stone to make it more compatible with the rustic setting in the ravine, he said.
To start in spring
Work on the job is tentatively set to start in the spring, but it will be an 18-month project carrying over into the 2006 construction season, Collins said.
The state will leave a portion of the old road in place to allow the city access to a sanitary sewer pump station located at the bottom of the ravine.
The city is also talking about putting a bike path through the ravine in that area.
gwin@vindy.com