The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is collaborating with construction companies H&K Group and Joseph P. Fay to completely rebuild nine bridges and 9 mi. of four-lane interstate in the northeast corner of the state.

The bridges have been rehabilitated many times and now must be rebuilt to enhance safety and lessen congestion for the 27,000 motorists who use these roads daily.

Three stages of the rebuild are complete, with the work proceeding from exit 223 on I-81 near New Milford to the New York border. The project has a total cost to the department of approximately $530 million.

Traffic crossing the Susquehanna River on I-81 is expected to double over the next 20 years, and these bridges must be ready to meet that demand. The old bridges, while safe, contain more chloride ion content than modern standards allow. This older composition has a shorter lifespan than modern construction practices.

Travelers through northeast Pennsylvania have seen significant changes as they drive through the rolling foothills. The new bridges will have full shoulders —12 ft. to the outside and 10 ft. on the inside lanes. Redesigned on and off ramps will conform with current design standards.

The project was designed by Verdantas and is managed by Stephen Hughes of Bridging Pennsylvania Constructors. The job is a part of the PennDOT Pathways Major Bridge P3 (Public Private Partnership) Program. Hughes is managing two of the six projects within the program for PennDOT: this one on I-81 and another on I-78 in Berks County. The remaining four projects in the program are on I-80.

"Our construction partners have been great to work with, and we are looking to be finished by late June 2028," Hughes told Construction Equipment Guide. "The full width of the southbound road and bridges is now complete — although in a temporary pattern to allow for the northbound stages of construction to continue. In addition to managing traffic during the job, our team had to coordinate with Central New York Railroad Corporation's schedules for the structure over the rail it operates."

While Hughes considers the project as "nothing too technical," it still requires a lot from both workers and machinery. The construction crews have built three temporary trestles, each capable of sustaining two cranes for building the bridges over the Susquehanna River and for demolishing old structures. The metal from the old steel and concrete bridges along with demolished roadway is being recycled.

Most of the bridges are precast concrete beams with concrete decks. The bridges are designed for a 100-year lifetime. One method for sustaining the bridges in a northern climate with freeze-thaw issues and regular icing treatments is to cover the deck with a 1.25-in. thick concrete polymer overlay.

"As the decks show wear in the future, the overlay can be replaced while the bridge deck should remain undamaged from the harsh environmental conditions," said Hughes.

The complete package of the bridge projects was significant and included:

• Two four-span precast concrete beam bridges over the Susquehanna River

• One two-span precast concrete beam structure over I-81

• One single-span precast concrete arch structure over a railroad

• One single-span buried precast adjacent box beam over Susquehanna Street

• Two single-span precast concrete beams over a small stream

• Two single-span precast concrete beams over SR-0171

Caring for the River

Working over a river and in small streams and tributaries requires detailed planning.

"We had some trout stream restrictions, but no time-of-year restrictions," said Hughes. "We also had to deploy navigation assists and buoys to keep kayakers and boaters from veering into unsafe places."

The team also has built fencing to keep wildlife off the new bridges and roadways.

Workers used nearly 2 million sq. yds. of asphalt to build roads 17.5 in. thick. The team will construct approximately 117,000 linear ft. of guiderails. Elsewhere on the project, the construction team used 10,000 cu. yds. of concrete and 40,000 linear ft. of steel H piles to support the bridges.

Project planners also were required to build new stormwater systems to catch and direct storm drainage for the project to current permitting standards. Men and machines did heavy lifting for this part of the job, installing approximately 41,000 linear ft. of storm drainage pipes, many that were 72 in. in diameter. The 265,000 linear ft. of underdrain pipes, most 6 in. in diameter, will handle water issues below the pavement surfaces. Approximately 39,000 cu. yds. of riprap will be used for various erosion control applications as well as to enhance stability on steeper slopes.

"The entire stormwater system is being upgraded to current highway and permitting standards," said Hughes.

Workers operated numerous pieces of equipment for the project. Excavators, dozers, compactors, motor graders, wheel loaders and pavers will be used at various stages of the work.

For the many lifts in the project, the construction team will continue to use an armada of cranes, including:

Rough-Terrain:

• Link-Belt 65RT

• Grove RT600E

Lattice Boom Crawlers:

• Manitowoc 2250 - 300T

• Manitowoc 999 Series 3 - 275T

• KOBELCO CK2750G - 275T

Telescoping Boom Hydraulic Truck Cranes:

• Demag AC250-5 - 300T

• Liebherr LTM 1200-5.1 - 200T

• Liebherr LTM 1250-5.1 - 300T

• Grove GMK6450-1 - 500T