Saltsburg Road in Plum to close for bridge connection

A section of Saltsburg Road in Plum will be closed for 27 days beginning Saturday while crews connect the road to a new bridge over the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Saltsburg will be closed between Monroeville-Trestle and Davidson roads until Aug. 13. Motorists will have access to businesses and residences in the closure area.

Mosites Construction Co. has completed construction of a new, longer bridge beside the existing structure. Now, it will close the existing bridge near the American Legion in Plum and join the road to the new bridge at the site of the former Plum Aqua Club.

The work is part of the turnpike’s preparation for a future expansion project that will widen the turnpike from two lanes to three in each direction and add 12-foot shoulders beside the far left and far right lanes. The wider highway underneath means the bridge above it must be longer than the existing structure.

The turnpike also is replacing bridges in Monroeville and Oakmont in anticipation of the widening project, which hasn’t been funded yet.

The Saltsburg closure will result in extensive detours.

Passenger vehicles have an 11.1-mile detour using New Texas and Leechburg roads back to

Saltsburg. Commercial truck traffic will have a 25.8-mile detour using Frankstown Road, Rodi Road, the Parkway East and Route 286.

In addition, the intersection of Davidson and Saltsburg roads will be closed. That detour will use Universal, Lott and Old Frankstown roads.