In Luzerne County, PennDOT officials will temporarily shut down a section of busy Route 309 in the Back Mountain after pieces of a bridge collapsed onto the highway.
No one was hurt, but a night-time detour will go into effect starting Wednesday.
"This is 70 years old. As a result of age and wear and tear, it's begun to fall down," explained PennDOT spokesman James May as he held a piece of concrete that collapsed Monday morning onto Route 309. It came from the 70-year-old Overbrook Road overpass that crosses over Route 309 near Shavertown.
Crews moved the fallen concrete out of the road. Officials said crews inspected the concrete on the underside of the bridge, and even though some fell off, PennDOT said it is safe to drive under and on the bridge.
"There's no concern with the actual structure of the bridge itself. The concern is with the decorative concrete that is on the outside of the bridge that was put there in 1940," May added.
"It's dangerous. Very dangerous. Someone can get hurt with that. If it's that old it should be repaired," said Dennis Olson of Wisconsin.
"Boy that`s unbelievable. I can't believe that. I'm glad nobody got hurt that was coming through there. I think they need to fix it," said Bryan Krasavage of Edwardsville.
That is exactly what PennDOT officials said will happen.
Beginning Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. Route 309 will be closed in both directions between Main Street and Main Road in Kingston Township until 6 a.m. Thursday so crews can remove the loose concrete from underneath the bridge.
Traffic will be diverted onto a side street for about a mile. The night-time detour will be in effect until the work is finished.
PennDOT hopes to have the repairs complete within two weeks.
