Debris falls from railroad bridge spanning Route 28 in Harmar; work to impact southbound lanes next week

Joyce Hanz, The Valley News-Dispatch, Tarentum, Pa.
·2 min read

Aug. 4—Restrictions are planned next week for the southbound section of Route 28 in Harmar after stones fell from an overhead railroad bridge and forced the northbound lanes to close for hours early Friday.

According to PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan, the stones fell because the flashing covering concrete joints, which prevents small debris from falling, had begun to deteriorate.

The span crosses over the expressway between Exit 12 (Cheswick) and Exit 11 (Harmar). As a result, Route 28 the northbound lanes were closed until just after 10 a.m. Friday as PennDOT crews assessed the situation. There were restrictions on northbouind traffic until just after noon.

The southbound lanes were unaffected.

Bridge inspectors were dispatched to the scene to evaluate the structure, Cowan said, and determined there were no structural concerns. Crews initiated a plan to add shoring, a temporary support for a structure, to the underside of the bridge to prevent material from falling until permanent repairs can be made.

As a precaution, shoring will be added to the bridge over the southbound lanes early next week, Cowan said. That information, including lane restrictions, will be released ahead of the work, he said.

A Friday morning statement from PennDOT said the northbound lanes were closed as a safety measure.

Cowan said ballast on the bridge fell onto the highway below, calling it a very "uncommon" thing to happen. With a railroad, ballast is the material — usually stones, gravel or slag — upon which the railroad ties and tracks are laid.

Cowan said the tracks and ballast are owned and operated by Canadian National Railway. PennDOT, he said, owns the bridge.

He said the joint in the concrete deck is only 2 inches wide, so the stones' size is relatively small.

Cowan said officials continue to work out details of the final repair, but the portion of stone over the bridge joints will be removed and new flashing will be placed.

During the northbound closure, detour routes were established off Route 910 onto Freeport Road.

No injuries were reported when the debris fell late Thursday. The lanes first closed about 11:30 p.m.

Joyce Hanz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joyce by email at jhanz@triblive.com or via Twitter .