Motorists are advised that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Bridging Pennsylvania Developers I (BPD-I) will begin pre-construction activities for the I-80 Over Lehigh River Bridge Project in preparation for the start of the replacement of the I-80 bridges eastbound and westbound over the Lehigh Gorge State Park and Lehigh River in Carbon and Luzerne counties.
On or after June 24, 2024, the construction contractor, Bridging Pennsylvania Constructors (BPC) and Major Bridge Subcontractor Wagman Heavy Civil, will begin the first of two main construction stages, with project completion anticipated in the summer of 2028. Initial activities will include the closure of River Road and beginning of detour activities for both River Road and Bicycle Route L through summer 2028. Additionally, to ensure public safety during construction the Lehigh Gorge State Park entrance from Main Street in White Haven will be closed to the public through construction. Wagman will begin E&S installation, clearing trees, and start reconstructing the I-80 EB median shoulder to prepare for a traffic shift.
Effective June 24, the entryway for Lehigh Gorge State Park’s White Haven South Access Area will be restricted to the Route 940 access road. Parking will be restricted to the overflow lot. The trail in this area of the Lehigh Gorge/D&L Trail will remain open to trail users, with some temporary closures to ensure public safety. Whitewater boaters will have designated launch areas within the existing Commercial Boat Launch. The public restroom will remain open and available to trail users.
Visitors are asked to follow posted signage and to visit DCNR’s website for advisories or call the park at 272-808-6192 with questions during business hours.
On Thursday, March 7, 2024, PennDOT and BPD-I hosted the I-80 Lehigh Pre-Construction Public Meeting in White Haven to introduce key members of the I-80 Lehigh team and provide an update about specific pre-construction and anticipated upcoming construction activities, traffic plans and scheduling. To download the presentation click here.
This project is part of the ongoing PennDOT Major Bridges P3 Program. Bridging Pennsylvania Developers – I (BPD-I) is led jointly by Shikun & Binui Ltd and Macquarie Capital as Lead Project Developers and Equity Members. The Bridging Pennsylvania Constructors (BPC) joint venture (JV) consortium includes the design & construction expertise of S&B USA Construction (Pittsburgh, PA) and FCC Construction. S&B USA Construction is the construction arm of Shikun & Binui Ltd and is also the parent company of Fay, S&B USA Construction (Pittsburgh, PA), one of the four BPC Major Bridge subcontractors. Other Major Bridge subcontractors include the H&K Group (Skippack, PA), Kokosing Construction Company (Westerville, OH), Wagman Heavy Civil (York, PA), and Lead Designer, Michael Baker International (Pittsburgh, PA).
Motorists can check conditions on major roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.
511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.
Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Berks, Carbon. Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Schuylkill counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District5.
Information about infrastructure in District 5, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.pa.gov/D5Results.
Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at https://www.projects.penndot.gov/.
Find PennDOT news on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
# # #