Sewickley area emergency responders are coordinating to ensure minimal disruptions during an upcoming Sewickley Bridge closure.
PennDOT officials said the bridge connecting Sewickley to Moon Township across the Ohio River is expected to close from 7 p.m. April 19 through 6 a.m. April 29 so crews can make permanent repairs to the expansion joint dam.
Sewickley Police Chief Dave Mazza said plans as of April 11 include having an officer at the intersections of Ohio River Boulevard at Walnut, Chestnut and Broad streets as well as Beaver Street and Route 65 to help with traffic control.
Officers will be stationed at those locations each day during times of heavy traffic flow as determined by PennDOT, Mazza said.
“I think we’re going to be able to keep traffic flowing fairly smoothly because we don’t have to contend with the turning lanes onto the bridge going north or south,” Mazza said.
Valley Ambulance Authority is working with its public safety partners to maintain personnel on both sides of the bridge during the closure.
EMS Chief Brian Herskovitz said ambulances may be “strategically stationed at key locations,” and routes to and from Sewickley Valley Hospital may be adjusted to optimize response times and efficiency.
“We are fully prepared to address the challenges presented by the bridge closure and are confident in our ability to continue providing high-quality emergency medical care to the community,” said Herskovitz.
“We work very closely with our other EMS, police partners. The public should see very little disruption from a public safety perspective. This is not the first time the Sewickley Bridge has been closed for an extended period of time.”
The bridge closed for a little more than three weeks in 2020 and for a shorter time last year as part of repair projects.
“We’ve done this before,” Herskovitz said. “We know what to expect. Our employees are fully prepared. When someone calls 911, the closest appropriate ambulance will be sent to that call.”
The detours will be as follows:
From Sewickley
• Motorists will take Route 65 southbound.
• Take the left-hand ramp to I-79 toward Erie/Washington.
• Take the left-hand ramp to South I-79 toward Washington.
• Merge onto southbound I-79 and cross the Neville Island Bridge.
• Take the Neville Island to Route 51 (Exit 65) off-ramp.
• Turn left onto Grand Avenue.
• Cross the Coraopolis Bridge.
• Turn right onto northbound Route 51 (Fourth Avenue).
• Follow northbound Route 51 back to the Sewickley Bridge.
From Moon Township
• Motorists will take Route 51 southbound.
• Turn left onto Ferree Street.
• Cross the Coraopolis Bridge.
• Continue along Grand Avenue.
• Take the ramp to northbound I-79 toward Erie.
• Merge onto northbound I-79 and cross the Neville Island Bridge.
• Take the ramp to Route 65 toward Emsworth/Sewickley (Exit 66).
• Continue following the ramp to Route 65 toward Emsworth/Sewickley.
• Take the ramp to North 65 toward Sewickley.
• Merge onto northbound Route 65 and follow back to the Sewickley Bridge.
Michael DiVittorio is a TribLive reporter covering general news in Western Pennsylvania, with a penchant for festivals and food. He can be reached at mdivittorio@triblive.com.