Elizabeth Bridge Lane Restrictions Go Into Effect As Rehabilitation Work Begins

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ELIZABETH (KDKA) -- Long-term lane restrictions are now in effect on the Elizabeth Bridge.

For the second year, 25,000 drivers who travel across the Elizabeth Bridge every day will have to slow down and use only one lane in either direction.

The 68-year-old bridge is undergoing another year of major rehabilitation.

"I'm delighted that we are working and putting our citizens to work, but I wish it would move a little faster," resident Mary Kaye DiMArco said.

"I feel it's inconvenient, but most people are just gonna have to deal with it, you know? It's the people that work every day and have to use that bridge as a means of transportation," resident Steve Leshnock said.

Last year, construction crews worked on the exterior lanes. This year, rehab will focus on the inside lanes.

The work also includes full painting, concrete substructure repairs, steel repairs, drainage upgrades and cable replacement.

"They were getting rusty. They were starting to show their age, so we're replacing those one at a time, and when we do that, we will have to restrict those outside lanes," Jason Zane, with PennDOT, said.

"I'd rather them fix the bridge than it fall apart while I'm standing on it," resident Robert Beach said.

Once the $31 million rehabilitation project is completed, the bridge should be in good condition for many years.

"It's a very important bridge for the community out there. A lot of emergency services, they use the bridge as well. A lot of people use it every day to commute in and out from work into the city," Zane said.

The work should be finished sometime this fall.