PennDOT: Neville Island Bridge to close to all southbound traffic this weekend

Garret Roberts, Beaver County Times
·2 min read

GLENFIELD — As major construction continues along the Neville Island Bridge this weekend, motorist may need to plan for alternative travel routes due to closures.

PennDOT has announced they will begin a full closure of the I-79 Neville Island Bridge to southbound traffic at 9 p.m. Friday. This closure will remain in place until 5 a.m. Monday, as crews conduct deck and concrete pavement repairs, bridge painting and steel repairs.

On Friday evening, Pennsylvania state police will begin a slow rollout of southbound traffic along Interstate 79 at the Mount Nebo (Exit 68) interchange around 8 p.m. After this, they will work with road crews to reduce the roadway to a single lane of traffic between Exit 68 and and the Emsworth/Sewickley exits. At 9 p.m. another slow rollout will occur at the Mount Nebo exit and police will guide motorists to the detour route.

During the closure, PennDOT has posted the following detour:

  • From southbound I-79, motorists will exit at the Route 65 Emsworth/Sewickley (Exit 66) interchange

  • Turn left onto Glenfield Road

  • Glenfield Road becomes Kilbuck Street

  • Turn right onto the ramp to North 65 toward Sewickley

  • From northbound Route 65, turn left onto the Sewickley Bridge

  • Turn left onto southbound Route 51 (University Boulevard) toward Coraopolis

  • From southbound Route 51, take the ramp to South 79 toward Washington

  • End detour

In addition to the full southbound closure, a northbound lane closure will also occur on the Neville Island Bridge during this time. This restriction is expected to be lifted before 6 a.m. on Monday.

PennDOT suggests motorists traveling northbound on I-79 may want to consider using I-279 (Parkway North) to I-376 (Parkway West) to avoid traffic that may occur along the detour route. Police will be assisting motorists at key intersections during peak travel times, but all travelers are told to expect delays.

The construction is a part of the $43 million I-79 Neville Island Bridge Rehabilitation Project, which started in August 2020. According to PennDOT, the July 8 closure will be the first of four southbound weekend closures scheduled to take place throughout 2022. The project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2023.

Motorists are advised to practice caution when driving in the area for the workers' safety. Drivers can check the condition of the road and project status live on the 511PA website and smartphone app.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Neville Island Bridge to close to all southbound traffic on July 8