Brewery Bridge detour set to begin Monday in Latrobe
Motorists heading into downtown Latrobe via Ligonier Street should be prepared for a detour beginning Monday at the northern entrance to the city.
Southbound traffic across the Loyalhanna Creek is slated to cease for several months as work proceeds on rehabilitating the Brewery Bridge.
Work is beginning on the downstream side of the bridge, where the sidewalk has been blocked off.
Throughout the project, traffic across the bridge will be restricted to northbound vehicles only, maintaining direct access to Excela Latrobe Hospital from downtown.
During the work, southbound traffic will be detoured onto West Second Avenue, Garfield Road, Unity Street and Lloyd Avenue, according to Scott Wajdic, the city’s public works director.
“It’s supposed to be completed by November, if the weather stays lined up,” he said.
The open northbound lane is expected to be narrower in the project’s later stages than during its initial phase, Wajdic said.
Latrobe’s fire department has to determine how well its large ladder truck might fit through the tighter lane restriction, Fire Chief John Brasile indicated.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” he said, noting that the detour is “really not that much farther.”
Beech Construction Inc. of Pittsburgh was awarded the contract for the $2.4 million project. The contractor will replace the 175-foot-long span’s deck and beams and rehabilitate the piers and abutments.
The bridge dates from 1935 and was reconstructed in 1974.
Work is nearing completion on a PennDOT project to upgrade traffic signals and handicapped-accessible curb ramps at several downtown intersections, Wajdic said.
He said the city is preparing to seek bids for a summer paving project that would include resurfacing of: Jefferson Street, between Chestnut Street and Irving Avenue; Main Street at Sylvan Avenue; Alexandria Street, between Main and Spring streets; a section of Derry Street.
The city also is looking to repair the concrete surface of Spring, between the 500 and 700 blocks, Wajdic said.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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