Motorists on Route 119, one of three major traffic arteries leading into Greensburg from points north, will have to detour for several weeks as PennDOT replaces a bridge.
PennDOT has announced that Route 119 will be closed between Hannastown Road and Cameo Lane in Hempfield beginning Monday to allow contractor C.H. & D. Enterprises to replace a bridge that crosses a branch of Crabtree Creek.
Construction is expected to continue through late June, depending on weather and other work conditions.
PennDOT’s official posted detour of 20 miles will redirect traffic along state roads including routes 22 and 819. Local motorists likely will find a shorter, alternate path around the closure.
An average of nearly 4,600 vehicles cross the Route 119 bridge each day, and that figure is projected to increase to slightly more than 5,000 by 2043, according to PennDOT.
According to information posted online by PennDOT, the I-beam bridge of concrete-encased steel was constructed in 1926 and is 14 feet long. It is now rated in poor condition.
The $1 million project involves replacing the span with a box culvert with wing walls and updating drainage, signage and the approaching roadway.
