The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) reports that the Casanova Road bridge over Moshannon Creek in Rush Township reopened to traffic Nov. 23. The bridge was replaced as part of PennDOT’s Rapid Bridge Replacement Project aimed at reducing the number of structurally deficient bridges in the state.
PennDOT still plans to apply a polyester polymer concrete (PPC) overlay to the bridge deck in mid-2017, which should be the final step in completing the box beam bridge project. The PPC overlay, which can only be applied after the bridge concrete has cured for at least 30 days and during dry weather with temperatures consistently above 40 degrees, will protect the deck from damage due to harsh winters and reduce long-term maintenance costs.
The Rapid Bridge Replacement Project is a public-private partnership (P3) between PennDOT and Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners (PWKP), where PWKP will finance, design, replace, and maintain the bridges for 25 years. Casanova Road bridge is one of 558 bridges being replaced through the partnership.