Design & Construction Details

Bridge Replacement Project
Northeastern Extension Milepost A-88.59

Construction Schedule

Construction Update: Winter 2024-25

Deck Construction Ahead for New Hawk Falls Bridge

Winter 2024-25 – Structural steel work has been substantially completed, and crews will return in early spring to resume construction of the concrete deck on the new 720-foot Hawk Falls bridge which spans the Mud Run gorge in Carbon County.

The northbound half of the smaller bridge over Hickory Run Road (Route 534), situated immediately north of the arch bridge (see below), has also been substantially completed.

With the return of warmer weather following the winter shut-down, crews will begin placing reinforcing steel and pouring the arch bridge’s concrete deck. Smaller cranes (than the giants used to erect the steel arches) on temporary timber mats will assist with moving materials into place as work progresses across the soaring new structure.

Pavement at the north end of the work zone – on a new alignment to accommodate the new structures – is in place. As bridge work progresses in 2025, the approach pavement on both sides will be completed (see below).

The arch bridge and approach roadways are expected to be ready for traffic by late spring 2025. Northbound Turnpike vehicles will then be shifted onto the new bridge and the northbound side of the adjacent new Hickory Run Road bridge.

After the shift, the contractor will complete work on the southbound half of the Hickory Run structure. By late fall 2025, southbound Turnpike traffic will be shifted onto the new structures.

Demolition of the existing gorge bridge will then follow.

During the 2024 construction season, segments of the three arches that are the key features of the new bridge were erected, and the remaining structural steel components were assembled high over the gorge.

Excavation and preparation of foundations and supports for the new bridge started in the spring of 2021.

The new arch bridge will be four lanes wide with six-foot medians and 12-foot shoulders. It will replace the existing 738-foot-long truss bridge that is nearing the end of its design service life and is considered functionally obsolete due to a lack of shoulders.

The new bridge over Hickory Run Road (Route 534) will replace the existing three-span bridge with a one-span structure, providing a more open feel for travelers on the surface road below.

The entire project, with a construction cost of $88 million in toll-supported funds, is anticipated to be done by fall 2026 following completion of punch-list and other relatively minor construction activities.