PennDOT aims to restore traffic on the highway by early June.
PEMA staff have been in close contact with local officials to offer Commonwealth support and is conducting damage assessments to determine what aid may be available for impacted residents.
Boynton, PA – Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll personally visited Somerset County today where he was joined by PennDOT District 9 Executive Vince Greenland and other PennDOT officials to view the flood-damaged U.S. 219 (Mason-Dixon Highway) bridge over Piney Creek in the village of Boynton, Somerset County, and lay out the department’s plan to quickly restore traffic flow on the highway.
This week, significant rainfall caused flooding in the area and in the interest of public safety, the department closed the bridge and implemented a detour. Bridge inspections after the waters receded showed that the bridge sustained significant damage and needs to be replaced.
“PennDOT’s priority and our charge from Governor Shapiro is to help our communities and restore travel as quickly as possible when disaster strikes,” Secretary Carroll said. “The department will install a temporary bridge to quickly get people and local commerce moving through here again, and then we’ll replace the bridge.”
Work started today to remove pieces of the damaged bridge so a temporary structure can be placed over it. Once the temporary bridge is installed and paving occurs, the roadway can reopen to traffic. In the future, the department will repurpose the temporary structure by moving it adjacent to the damaged bridge and connecting it to a temporary roadway so traffic can bypass the damaged bridge until it is replaced.
While the bridge is closed, vehicles are advised to follow the following detours:
- Commercial vehicles (truck) traffic on U.S. 219 will be detoured using: Interstate 68 to U.S. 40 (National Pike) to Route 523 (Listonburg Road/Oden Street) to Route 281 (Park Street/Kingwood Road/New Centerville Road/Tayman Avenue) to Route 31 (Patriot Street/Main Street) to Route 3041 (Plank Road).
- Non-commercial (passenger vehicle) traffic on U.S. 219 will be detoured using: Route 669 (Ord Street) to Route 2003 (St Paul Road) to Route 2035 (Rock Station Road) to Route 2014 (Coal Run Road).
An average of 4,700 vehicles cross this 80-foot, two-span bridge each day.
In addition to the work that PennDOT is leading, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) has been in Somerset County since the storm began.
“We have staff on the ground with county and local personnel to conduct damage assessments from the flooding,” said PEMA Director Randy Padfield. “We know that it’s important to quickly get help to those who need it and we’re reviewing damages now to see what help might be available.”
Motorists 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 1,000 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.
Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, and Somerset counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District9.
Follow PennDOT District 9 on X and like the department on Facebook and Instagram.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jay Knarr, jaknarr@pa.gov, 814-696-7101, or Monica R. Owens, moowens@pa.gov, 814-696-7105, PennDOT
Ruth A. Miller, PEMA, ruthmiller@pa.gov
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