Route 30 bridge replacement in Hempfield to narrow traffic lanes on East Pittsburgh Street

Lane restrictions will begin for motorists Monday as PennDOT starts work to replace the East Pittsburgh Street bridge over Route 30 in Hempfield.

Eastbound traffic headed over the bridge will be restricted to a 12-foot lane width, according to PennDOT officials.

Westbound traffic exiting from Route 30 will be subject to width restrictions on both lanes of East Pittsburgh Street. A barrier will be placed to narrow one lane to 9 feet while the other lane will be narrowed to 11 feet.

Lane widths on Route 30 will be restricted to 12 feet in both directions in the project area. Eastbound vehicles exceeding 12 feet will have to exit at the Mt. Pleasant exit while westbound vehicles that are too wide will have to exit at the traffic light at Sheraton Drive and Donohoe Road.

A short portion of Toll House Road that normally allows Pittsburgh Street motorists to change direction from the eastbound to the westbound lanes will be closed. Instead, drivers wanting to change direction will have to continue east on Route 30, to the light at Sheraton Drive and Donohoe Road.

The remainder of Toll House Road that provides access to the Robokyo Japanese Steakhouse and Toll House Apartments will remain open.

The traffic restrictions are expected to last through November as crews from contractor Charles J. Merlo perform initial work to replace the East Pittsburgh Street bridge with a two-lane, single-span concrete box beam bridge and realign the roadway.

The $7.6 million project is slated for completion by May 2024.

A recent inspection resulted in a poor rating for the bridge superstructure.