A major bridge project in downtown Honesdale is about half-way done but PennDOT warns drivers to expect delays as summer travel increases in the area.
Drivers in Honesdale said the Church Street Bridge project has been causing frustrating delays for the last year and half and it looks as if they will have to endure them for a while longer.
"The grocery store is five minutes away but it takes you 20 minutes to get there. It's very frustrating," said Angela Kelch of Honesdale.
"I think it's awful because it gets backed up and the people want to turn left on Church Street and it's just crazy," said Katie Gager.
PennDOT contractors are expanding the bridge from three lanes to five. The work started in 2007 and crews said construction is about half-way completed. One side of the bridge is done and work is underway on the other side.
"We are putting in beams July 23 and then we'll have a month of lag for steel time and thing. Then we'll pull up our deck and our walls and should be able to open up the bridge," explained Pat Resti of Leeward Construction.
Since the construction started, traffic across the bridge has been reduced to two lanes, causing traffic delays. PennDOT expects those issues to get worse with increased summer travel.
"Give yourself more time. We can't preach that enough for people to incorporate some of the construction delays into their travels to get over their frustration when they go through us." said PennDOT project manager Carla Medura.
Crews hope to pave the second part of the bridge by this fall, however weather can slow them down, including the recent rain over the past few weeks that have caused the river levels to rise.
"The river hasn't had a chance to go down. The rain's been killing us and we've just been muddling through and doing the best we can at this point," Resti said.
For now, crews said the project is right on schedule and is expected to be completed by next June.
Drivers in Honesdale said the Church Street Bridge project has been causing frustrating delays for the last year and half and it looks as if they will have to endure them for a while longer.
"The grocery store is five minutes away but it takes you 20 minutes to get there. It's very frustrating," said Angela Kelch of Honesdale.
"I think it's awful because it gets backed up and the people want to turn left on Church Street and it's just crazy," said Katie Gager.
PennDOT contractors are expanding the bridge from three lanes to five. The work started in 2007 and crews said construction is about half-way completed. One side of the bridge is done and work is underway on the other side.
"We are putting in beams July 23 and then we'll have a month of lag for steel time and thing. Then we'll pull up our deck and our walls and should be able to open up the bridge," explained Pat Resti of Leeward Construction.
Since the construction started, traffic across the bridge has been reduced to two lanes, causing traffic delays. PennDOT expects those issues to get worse with increased summer travel.
"Give yourself more time. We can't preach that enough for people to incorporate some of the construction delays into their travels to get over their frustration when they go through us." said PennDOT project manager Carla Medura.
Crews hope to pave the second part of the bridge by this fall, however weather can slow them down, including the recent rain over the past few weeks that have caused the river levels to rise.
"The river hasn't had a chance to go down. The rain's been killing us and we've just been muddling through and doing the best we can at this point," Resti said.
For now, crews said the project is right on schedule and is expected to be completed by next June.
