Emerald Bridge Redesign

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has recently awarded a $34.3 million contract to Trumbull Corporation for a design/build project to replace the Emerald Bridge on the Northeastern Extension (I-476) in Washington Township, Lehigh County. The bridge is located approximately 11 miles north of the Lehigh Valley Interchange (Exit 56) and seven miles south of the Mahoning Valley Interchange (Exit 74) and crosses over Main Street (Route 4018) and Trout Creek in Washington Township. The existing three-span steel girder bridge will be replaced with dual structures. Each bridge will consist of three 12-foot travel lanes with 12-foot outside and inside shoulders. The limit of work extends from milepost A67 north to A69, and includes the reconstruction and rehabilitation of both the northbound and southbound lanes of the turnpike. The design process, including permitting and right-of-way acquisition, is expected to last about one year with construction to begin in the spring of 2015 and continue through the fall of 2017. The superstructure will be replaced using staged construction, which allows the contractor to maintain two lanes of traffic in each direction on the turnpike for the duration of the project. This project is 100 percent funded by toll dollars.