New bridge, roundabouts are open at Interstate 90 Girard/Platea interchange

The new Route 18 bridge and roundabouts at the Girard/Platea interchange of Interstate 90 are open.

Interstate ramps on the west side of the bridge — to enter the interstate's westbound lanes and to exit the interstate's eastbound lanes — also opened early Friday afternoon.

Work is continuing on the eastbound on-ramp and westbound off-ramp on the east side of the bridge. Those ramps will open by early September.

"It depends on the weather. They may be open earlier if this weather holds," said John Murcavage, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation manager for the interchange construction.

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The new two-lane bridge has no turning lanes. The teardrop-shaped roundabouts will guide traffic to and from the interstate.

The roundabouts will be safer than traditional turning lanes on the bridge, Murcavage said.

"They will take some getting used to, but they will be safer, especially for drivers getting off the interstate," he said. "Drivers won't have to keep edging forward to look (past the bridge wall) for approaching traffic. And they won't have to wait because they can't see what's approaching when someone is stopped beside them to turn left."

All traffic exiting the interstate will turn right into a roundabout to drive north or south on Route 18.

The Girard interchange of Interstate 90 had been closed for 10 months. The original Route 18 bridge over the highway was struck and damaged by a truck in late August and was demolished in early September.

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PennDOT had previously planned to replace the Route 18 bridge this year, with the old bridge carrying traffic while a new bridge was built. The interchange instead had to be closed until the new bridge was in place.

Update earlier this summer: A new bridge and roundabouts are coming soon for the Girard I-90 interchange

The new bridge is less vulnerable to big trucks. It's about 17 feet above the highway. The clearance for the original bridge, which was built with the interstate in 1959, was just 14 feet, 3 inches.

Murcavage estimates the cost for the new bridge, ramps and roundabouts at between $1.2 million and $2 million. The work is part of the $66.1 million, multiyear reconstruction of I-90 in western Erie County.

Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @ETNmyers.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Bridge and roundabouts are open at I-90 interchange in Erie County