Bridge inspection, upgrades to restrict traffic in West Newton, Hempfield; I-70/51 exit also affected

Traffic restrictions are slated beginning Thursday during inspection of the Route 136 bridge across the Youghiogheny River in West Newton and beginning Friday as crews work to improve bridges on Route 30 in Hempfield.

Additional restrictions are planned on Thursday as a PennDOT contractor continues restructuring of the Route 51 interchange on Interstate 70 in Rostraver.

From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, westbound traffic will be limited to a single lane on I-70, between the Smithton and Route 51 exits. During those same hours, a similar restriction will apply for drivers headed south on Route 51, between Concord Lane and Finley Road.

Those restrictions will allow Golden Triangle Construction Co. to remove overhead cantilever signs in the construction area, according to PennDOT.

Part of a $120.6 million project, the reconfigured interchange will have a Diverging Diamond format. Lanes of traffic on new twin Route 51 bridges over the interstate will switch to the opposite side of the road and back again, through intersections with traffic signals.

That will allow drivers to turn left to enter the interstate without crossing opposing lanes of traffic.

That project also includes widening of a section of Route 51, with improvements to the highway’s intersections with Finley and Ridge roads.

Flaggers will control single-lane traffic as crews from TranSystems Corporation Consultants complete a routine safety inspection of the West Newton Bridge.

That work will be underway between 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, depending on weather conditions.

PennDOT has plans to rehabilitate the historic 1909 metal truss bridge at an estimated cost of $7 million. On average, 6,548 vehicles cross the bridge every day, according to PennDOT data.

PennDOT cautioned motorists to be prepared for delays beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, as a single-lane restriction — with lane widths reduced to 11 feet — begins while crews from CriLon Corp. replace expansion dams on the Route 30 bridge over Pittsburgh Street, between the North Greengate Road and Route 136 exits in Hempfield.

The restriction will be in place through 6 a.m. Oct. 25, and again from 8 p.m. Oct. 27 through 6 a.m. Nov. 1, as part of a $1.65 million expenditure.

Similar work will trigger lane shifts and shoulder restrictions on the Route 30 bridge over the Amos K. Hutchinson Route 66 Bypass, beginning Monday morning and continuing through mid-November. That work will affect traffic between the Hempfield Boulevard/Hempfield Square and Agnew Road exits in Hempfield.