'Oh No, Don't Close My Bridge!' Sewickley Bridge Closed For 24 Days Starting July 17

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - When your city is divided by three rivers, closing any bridge can have ripple effects for miles.

The good news is we are still in the midst of COVID Traffic.

That means traffic volumes remain lower than normal, but for those who do travel, this is going to be a challenge.

Starting this Friday morning and running for the next 24 days the Sewickley Bridge is off-limits to traffic.

PennDOT District 11's Assistant Executive for Construction Jason Zang says the bridge is way overdue for an overhaul.

"The primary work that we're going to be doing is the expansion dam replacement," Zang said. "The original expansion dams are out there, they are leaky, and dripping down on to the steel below so that's critical. And we're going to do a hydro demolition. We're going to use a high-pressure wash and remove an inch and a quarter off the existing concrete and we'll remove all the unsound and bad concrete and all the potholes that are there."

It is a lot of work and originally the closure was going to last 17 days and then on numerous weekends into the fall.

The contractor took a look at the work and decided everything could be done if the initial closure was extended to 24 days.

So, the weekend closures won't happen and the work will be finished before school resumes.

Zang says that's good news for not only commuters but also first responders.

"The detour is unfortunately long because there are not a lot of bridges in that area so the detour takes you down to the I-79 bridge at Neville Island across and back up the other side," he said.

That means if you drive Interstate 79, or Routes 65 or 51, you should expect an influx of a lot more traffic until mid-August.