Montoursville, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) along with industry partners provided an update today on plans to repair the damaged Wyalusing River Bridge in Wyalusing and Terry townships, Bradford County.
The bridge, which carries Wyalusing New Albany Road (Route 2010) over the Susquehanna River, was struck by an oversized load on Tuesday, March 24. Several steel members of the truss bridge were damaged in the strike. PennDOT inspected the damaged bridge and determined that due to the extent of the damages, the bridge will remain closed until the repairs are made. PennDOT maintenance and bridge staff responded to the bridge within an hour of the strike, and a preliminary inspection showed several members of the bridge were damaged, requiring the bridge to be closed.
“I have a saying in situations like these: every county, every community, every time,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “This bridge provides an important river crossing for the people who live and work in this community, and we understand that it’s important that we open it as quickly as possible.”
Inspection of the bridge and preliminary design work continued late last week, with PennDOT, the design consultant Dewberry, and contractor, J.D. Eckman. PennDOT and partners will continue to meet this week to discuss repair plans, take additional measurements, and identify and source the needed material to make the repairs.
Today, utility companies began adjusting their infrastructure in preparation for bridge repair work to begin, with an anticipated start date of Monday, April 13.
Wyalusing New Albany Road remains closed in both directions between Route 187 and Route 6. A detour using Route 187 and Route 6 is in place.
“PennDOT and our industry partners are working hard to complete the necessary bridge repairs as soon as possible with a goal of reopening by the end of June,” said District Executive Eric High.
The preliminary estimate to repair the bridge is approximately $1 million. PennDOT has secured emergency funding to pay for the repairs and will seek reimbursement from the trucking company.
PennDOT reminds drivers to "Check Your Height, Know It's Right". Drivers are responsible for knowing the height of their vehicle - whether a personal vehicle or a rented one - and observing and complying with posted bridge heights. Using the “Check Your Height, Know It’s Right” tool, drivers can avoid hitting bridges with vehicles. According to PennDOT data, in the 10 years between 2013 and 2023, there were more than 600 bridge strikes to bridges or other overhead structures in PA.
Drivers can check conditions on major roadways 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 1,200 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.
Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.pa.gov/DOTprojects. Subscribe to PennDOT news and find transportation results in Tioga, Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Union, Snyder, Northumberland, Montour, and Columbia counties at www.pa.gov/DOTdistrict3.
Find PennDOT news on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Maggie Baker and Kim Smith at ra-pdd03crc@pa.gov
# # #