Northbound Interstate 79 on the Neville Island Bridge over the Ohio River will be reduced to a single-lane of traffic from 8 p.m. Friday night continuously through 6 a.m. Monday morning. Crews will conduct expansion dam work. No restrictions will occur in the southbound direction.

Additionally, beginning on Friday, September 24 single-lane restrictions will occur on northbound Route 65 at the Neville Island Bridge.  Crews will conduct paint containment installation work, bridge painting operations, concrete repairs, and bearing installation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays through mid-October.

Motorists should expect delays during peak travel times.

The $43 million I-79 Neville Island Bridge Rehabilitation Project includes structural steel repairs, full structure painting, bearing and deck joint replacements, deck repairs and overlays, bridge barrier repair, substructure concrete work and drainage improvements.  The project also includes concrete roadway reconstruction, guide rail replacement and preservation work on four sign structures. Additionally, preservation work will occur on the I-79 bridge over Deer Run Road, north of the Neville Island Bridge.  Motorists will see ramp closures and single-lane and shoulder closures in each direction on I-79 during daylight off-peak and overnight hours. Other traffic impacts include four northbound weekend closures in 2021 and four southbound weekend closures in 2022. The overall project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2023.

The Trumbull Corporation is the prime contractor.

To help keep motorists informed as work progresses, PennDOT has created an email distribution list for the I-79 Neville Island Bridge rehabilitation including traffic advisories and construction updates. Enroll by sending email addresses to stcowan@pa.gov. Please write “Subscribe – I-79” in the subject line.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, 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.

Improvement work requiring lane restrictions will occur according to the following schedule:

Route 51 from Fleming Avenue in Stowe Township to I-79 in Robinson Township (Southern Section)

• 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday
• 6 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday

Route 51 from Thorn Run Road to Flaugherty Run Road in Moon Township (Northern Section)

• 8 p.m. Friday night to 6 p.m. Saturday

Milling and paving operations will occur in the southern sections, while concrete patching will occur in the northern section.

The project is part of a $5.48 million group paving job which also includes milling and paving, shoulder and base repair, drainage upgrades, guide rail improvements, signage, line painting, and other various construction related activities.  Lindy Paving is the prime contractor.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, 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.

(Photo Courtesy of Pennsylvania State Police)

(Hershey, Pa.) Pennsylvania State Trooper Nickolas Elliott was issued a citation today for a summary offense of harassment. The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) filed the charge following an investigation by the Bureau of Integrity and Professional Standards, Internal Affairs Division.

The charge is based on an allegation of unwarranted use of force. PSP does not tolerate such action in any situation and takes these allegations seriously. As such and in accordance with 18 Pa.C.S. §2709(a)(1), a non-traffic summary charge of harassment was filed in District Court 33-3-02.

Trooper Elliott enlisted in the PSP in October 2016 and graduated as a member of the 148^th cadet class. He is assigned to the patrol section of Troop D, Kittanning. Trooper Elliott has been suspended without pay pending resolution of the criminal charge against him.