State to replace 558 bridges over three years in public-private alliance

Leslie Richards, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), said last week that the state has partnered with Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners (PWKP) to replace 58 bridges this year as part of the Rapid Bridge Replacement Program.

PWKP crews will begin work this month. The entire project will involve 558 bridges and is estimated to be complete in three years. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will retain its ownership of the bridges, and the PWKP team will maintain the bridges for the next 25 years.

The 58 bridges set for replacement this year are located in the northeast, north central and southwest regions of Pennsylvania. These will be faster-than-normal road construction projects because the bridge components have been prefabricated and will be assembled at the construction site.

The Rapid Bridge Replacement Program is a public-private partnership (P3) between PennDOT and PWKP.

“Part of the responsibility of a government that works is keeping people moving safely, but also efficiently,” Richards said. “This project will deliver high-quality bridges with as little disruption to the public as possible, now and for decades in the future.

“PennDOT is always looking at new ways to improve how we do business, and doing as much work as we can before impacting the traveling public will continue to be a focus,” Richards said.