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Work to begin on another I-78 bridge and continue through 2028. Find out where.

mcall.com 2024/10/5
The Interstate 78 bridge over Route 143, just outside of Lenhartsville, is seen in 2021. (Morning Call file photo)
The Interstate 78 bridge over Route 143, just outside of Lenhartsville, is seen in 2021. (Morning Call file photo)

Another bridge project on Interstate 78 in Berks County is about to begin and will continue over the next several years.

Construction will commence Monday on the $120 million project to replace the bridge over Maiden Creek next to the exit with Route 143 in Lenhartsville, according to a news release from PennDOT.

The narrow bridge was built in 1955 and renovated in 1985. It carries about 50,000 vehicles daily, about 30% of which is truck traffic.

When completed in summer 2028, the wider bridge will include improved acceleration and deceleration lanes at the Route 143 interchange, along with a shoulder.

Bridging Pennsylvania Constructors and H&K Group, the contractors on the project, will begin the first of five main construction stages, according to PennDOT. Initial activities will include short-term lane closures for removal of rumble strips, installation of construction signage and temporary barrier and line painting, starting on Monday from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. and on Route 143 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The project is part of $350 million that is being spent to improve I-78.

Widening of a 9-mile stretch between Lenhartsville and the Lehigh County line, including the addition of truck climbing lanes, was completed last year. Improvements on the bridge over the Schuylkill River near Hamburg are scheduled to be completed in December 2025. The $135 million project includes rehabilitation and widening the bridge along with upgrading the adjacent interchange with Route 61.

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