A $20 million road construction project currently is under way in Pittsburgh, Pa. The contract, which was awarded to Walsh Construction Company of Canonsburg, Pa., involves Route 65 at the Marshall Avenue interchange on the North Side.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), approximately 13,000 vehicles use the road in each direction on a typical weekday.

The current project is the second phase of the rehabilitation of the Route 65/Route 19 Marshall Avenue Interchange. Work includes the replacement of concrete decks, substructure spall repairs, expansion dams, bearing replacements, steel repairs, cleaning and painting structural steel, approach slab replacements, highway lighting and other improvements.

The long-term closure will reportedly continue through early summer 2012. The bridges were originally scheduled to temporarily open in November with closures resuming in early 2012 and continuing through fall.

Working with the contractor, PennDOT is extending the current closure through the winter months to continue efforts to improve the structurally deficient bridges. This extension will allow closures needed next year to conclude approximately two months sooner than first anticipated.

Tom Beckowitz is the superintendent of Walsh Construction and Robert Collins serves as P.E. and project manager.

Challenging aspects of the project included working over top of live railroad traffic while removing the deck, installing lateral bracing, performing fabricated structural steel repairs on top and inside the box girders.

Major equipment used included a Bidwell concrete finishing machine, concrete pump trucks, a Kobelco backhoe with hoe ram attachments, and numerous JLG lifts, triaxles, and cranes.

Major subcontractors included Protection Services Inc.; B & K Enterprises Inc.; Vantage Corporation; Independence Excavating Inc.; Structural Services Inc.; Superior Painting Company Inc.; Professional Service Industries Inc.; J & B Welding Inc.; and Howard Concrete Pumping Company Inc.

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