Mifflintown, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) will begin work Wednesday, August 19, to replace a pair of bridges on Route 35 in Lack Township, Juniata County. One bridge spans a tributary of Lick Run, about two miles southwest of the village of Cross Keys. The other spans a tributary of Willow Run about one mile southwest of Cross Keys. Replacing the bridges will remove them from Juniata County’s list of bridges in poor condition.

Work will be done in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and state Department of Health guidance as well as a project-specific COVID-19 safety plan, which will include protocols for social distancing, use of face coverings, personal and job site cleaning protocols, management of entries to the job site and relevant training.

The contractor will start building a temporary roadway around the Lick Run Bridge on Wednesday. Most of this work will take place off the road, but drivers are urged to stay alert for construction equipment entering and exiting Route 35.

Once complete, a temporary traffic signal will provide traffic control on the temporary roadway. PennDOT will issue an update prior to this signal being activated.

The contractor will also close the Willow Run bridge and implement a detour Wednesday. The detour will use Route 3025 (Old Mill Road), Route 3023 (Pumping Station Road) Route 75, Route 3018 (Smokey Hollow Road), and Route 850 to access Route 35. This detour will be in effect until early October.

The Lick Run bridge was built in 1940, is 13-feet long and carries an average of 242 vehicles per day. The Willow Run bridge was built in 1939, is 11-feet long and carries an average of 384 vehicles per day.

Overall work consists of demolishing the existing bridges, replacing them with concrete box culverts, approach paving, drainage improvements, guide rail installation, pavement markings, and miscellaneous construction. PennDOT expects to finish work in mid-November. All work is weather and schedule dependent.

JVI Group, Inc. of York Springs, PA is the contractor on this $1.1 million project. Drivers are reminded to move through work zones with caution, follow detour signs, obey posted speed limits, and always buckle up.

Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website. 

Subscribe to PennDOT news in Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Juniata, McKean, Mifflin, and Potter counties at www.penndot.gov/District2. For regional updates on Twitter, follow www.twitter.com/511PAStateCOLL    MEDIA CONTACT:  Marla Fannin (814) 765-0423, Timothy Nebgen (814) 765-0598

# # #