Coxcomb Hill Road reopening delayed until later this week
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The reopening of a section of Coxcomb Hill Road in Plum has been delayed until later this week, a PennDOT spokesman said Monday.
The closed section of the road between Kerr and Logans Ferry roads, which has been closed since late May, is expected to reopen Friday afternoon instead of Monday, PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said.
PennDOT closed Coxcomb Hill for drainage improvements and shoulder reconstruction May 24.
The work was impacted by inclement weather and a minor equipment issue, Cowan said.
The posted detour uses the New Kensington bridge, officially named the C.L. Schmitt Bridge. The bridge also will be part of the official detour route when the Tarentum bridge closes for repairs, starting Wednesday.
That means detour routes for Coxcomb Hill Road and the Tarentum bridge will overlap for a few days, most notably at the New Kensington bridge.
Cowan said PennDOT is not concerned about the overlap.
“First, while the official detour (for) the Coxcomb Hill Road project uses the New Kensington bridge, there are several other options that are significantly shorter for local motorists to use,” he said. “Second, both projects have road name plaques associated with their respective detours, so there shouldn’t be any issue differentiating between the two projects.
“And finally, we have included funds for off-duty uniformed police officers for the Tarentum bridge detour when it is first implemented to control signalized intersections along the route,” he said.
The Tarentum bridge is scheduled to close at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, weather permitting.
The pedestrian sidewalk will remain open, Cowan said.
The two sides of the bridge will reopen at different times, with lanes heading toward Tarentum closed longer.
The lanes heading toward New Kensington are expected to be closed until 11:59 p.m. June 13. The lanes heading toward Tarentum will be closed an additional two weeks, until 11:59 p.m. June 27, PennDOT said.