Second Bridge over Pa. Turnpike in Bucks County to Close Monday

Replacement of Galloway Road Bridge requires yearlong closure.

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA (11/10/2010)(readMedia)-- The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission reminds motorists that the bridge carrying Galloway Road (State Route 2023) over the Turnpike in Bensalem Township will be closed to traffic starting Monday, Nov. 15. The closure and resulting detour is needed because the bridge will be disassembled, removed and replaced with a wider structure to accommodate a new, highway-speed link to I-95 that will eventually be built just east of the location.

The bridge, which crosses above I-276 at Turnpike milepost 353, will close at 7 a.m. Monday, and the detour will remain in place until the new bridge opens in November 2011. Located approximately 2 miles east of the Bensalem Interchange (Exit 351), the Galloway Road Bridge is scheduled to be torn down in early Jan. 2011.

Beginning Monday, Galloway Road will be detoured between Mechanicsville Road (State Route 2021) and Richlieu Road (State Route 2035). Motorists will follow these PennDOT-approved alternative routes:

• Northbound - Turn left onto Mechanicsville Road (SR 2021); turn right onto Street Road (SR 0132); turn right onto Richlieu Road (SR 2035). Detour ends at Galloway Road.

• Southbound - Turn left onto Richlieu Road; turn right onto Bristol Road (SR 2025); turn right onto Hulmeville Road (SR 0513); turn right onto Mechanicsville Road. Detour ends at Galloway Road.

On Oct. 25, as part of the $9.7 million toll-funded bridge replacement contract, Bristol-Oxford Valley Road (BOV) over the Turnpike in Bristol Township, was closed and detoured. The James J. Anderson Construction Co. was awarded the contract to simultaneously construct both bridges in early September.

Work on the Turnpike under the BOV Road Bridge at milepost 357 and the Galloway Road Bridge at milepost 353 began last month. Motorists traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike will encounter nighttime single-lane closures and a 55 mph work zone near the bridges. There will also be occasions when the section of the Turnpike between the Bensalem and Delaware Valley Interchanges will be closed in both directions with off-Pike detours for beam removal and replacement.

Information on the detour routes, future construction, project staging and travel advisories are available on the Turnpike's homepage at www.paturnpike.com. Under "Quick Links" click on Major Design and Construction Projects then select I-95 Interchange (Traffic Cone H).

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is committed to distributing complete, accurate travel information and providing exceptional customer service. Visit the PA Turnpike website at www.paturnpike.com or be in the know before you go and call 866.976 TRIP (866.976.8747).