A heavily traveled bridge in Clarks Summit will be reduced to a single lane of traffic for weeks starting this summer and continuing into the 2013-14 school year.
Contractors are scheduled to begin replacing expansion dams and repairing joints on the West Grove Street bridge in mid-May, state Department of Transportation spokesman James May said.
The first six to eight weeks of construction will involve repairing the bridge's piers, which will take place underneath and won't affect traffic, Mr. May said.
Once that's completed - expected to be about mid-July - contractors from Jessup-based Fabcor Inc. will move to the top and begin replacing the aging expansion dams.
At that point, traffic on the bridge will be reduced to a single lane, and PennDOT will install temporary traffic signals at both ends, Mr. May said.
The project, which costs $700,000, is expected to be done by early fall.
"The main problem is the expansion dams," Mr. May said. "They are old, and as a result, salts are leaking through and going down onto the piers."
Officials will adjust the traffic signals during the school year so school buses or parents headed to or coming from Clarks Summit Elementary at 401 W. Grove St. won't face significant delays.
"We are very confident that PennDOT and the Abington Heights transportation department will work cooperatively together to minimize any disruptions," said Abington Heights School District Superintendent Michael Mahon, Ph.D.
He said Grove Street and Winola Road are the main gateways to Clarks Summit Elementary, Abington Heights Middle School and Newton Ransom Elementary School.
Though the reduction in travel lanes might not affect school traffic, it will certainly cause delays for other drivers.
Even so, Clarks Summit Borough Manager Virginia Kehoe said construction on the bridge "will be a good thing in the long run."
"The bridge has a dip in it, and bridge safety is a big concern in the world right now," Ms. Kehoe said. "Anything you can do to improve bridges is a plus."
Contact the writer: miorfino@timesshamrock.com, @miorfinoTT on Twitter