Bridge replacement to close road
McMURRAY – Valley Brook Road in Peters Township will close for a week on June 22 at the Montour Trail crossing for the assembly of some girders for a new trail bridge.
The new $1.6 million bridge will connect Montour Trail with Arrowhead Trail, the portion of Montour that is located in Peters and is owned and maintained by the township, said Mark Imgrund, a trail council member who is also the project manager for the Valley Brook Bridge No. 2.
Work on the project, which is now expected to be completed in September, hit a snag earlier this year when it was discovered that utility lines that cross Valley Brook Road at the construction site needed to be relocated. Imgrund said those lines have been moved. The new bridge is necessary because a section of Valley Brook, which connects the two trails, is a blind corner that presents a danger to cyclists, pedestrians and motorists, he said.
“This is going to be a much-needed safety improvement,” he said,
The Route 19 and Valley Brook intersection will not be affected by the closure. According to the township, however, motorists going to or from Lawrence will not be able to proceed on Valley Brook. Detour signs will be posted when the work begins.
The new bridge project is being funded by several sources including grants from the state, as well as Washington County, and private donations, Imgrund said.
The 46-mile Montour Trail stretches from Moon Township to Clairton and is part of the Great Allegheny Passage, a 330-mile trail that connects Pittsburgh with Washington, D.C.