ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A yearlong, $6.9 million project to rehabilitate the Route 873 Lehigh Gap Bridge over the Lehigh River will begin Thursday.
Expected to be complete in February, the project will close part of Route 873 south for most of its duration, the state Transportation Department saidin a Wednesday news release.
"Work on the bridge includes: cleaning, structural steel repairs, bearing repairs, painting, expansion joint replacement, concrete deck repairs and placement of a deck overlay."PennDOT
“Starting Thursday, the southbound lane on the Route 873 Bridge will be closed and detoured,” officials said. “Route 873 south traffic will be detoured on Route 248, Route 145 and Main Street.”
The bridge, which connects Washington Township, Lehigh County, and Lehigh Township, Northampton County, not only runs over the river, but also the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Trail, Paint Mill Road and Norfolk Southern Railroad.
The Appalachian Trail, D&L Trail and Paint Mill Road will remain open during construction, the release said.
Plan for increased traffic
Work won't affect access to the Lehigh Gap Nature Center, 8844 Paint Mill Road, Washington Township, center officials said Thursday.
However, visitors should be aware of the detour and plan for the possibility of increased traffic.
“There will also be times when both Route 873 north and south are closed, and these times are limited to weeknights [8 p.m. to 6 a.m.] and over two weekends [8 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday] to perform critical activities. Advance notice will be provided to the public when full closures are scheduled.”Pennsylvania Transportation Department release
“There will also be times when both Route 873 north and south are closed, and these times are limited to weeknights [8 p.m. to 6 a.m.] and over two weekends [8 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday] to perform critical activities,” according to the PennDOT release.
“Advance notice will be provided to the public when full closures are scheduled.”
Work on the bridge includes: cleaning, structural steel repairs, bearing repairs, painting, expansion joint replacement, concrete deck repairs and placement of a deck overlay.
Kriger Construction Inc. of Scranton is the general contractor.
The Route 873 Lehigh Gap Bridge was built in 1930 and rehabilitated in 1984, officials said.
The seven-span bridge is 1,024 feet long and 26 feet wide. Spans one and seven are riveted steel through girders, and spans two through six are steel trusses.
Route 873 in this area has an average daily traffic volume of 9,562 vehicles.
