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Bridge Project has Busy Route 93 Closed

NORTH CENTRE TOWNSHIP — A bridge replacement project has a busy road in Columbia County closed.  The detour on Route 93 between Berwick and Orangeville ad...
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NORTH CENTRE TOWNSHIP -- A bridge replacement project has a busy road in Columbia County closed.  The detour on Route 93 between Berwick and Orangeville adds nearly five miles onto the trip.

And we found this comes at the busiest time of the year for a business right next to that closed bridge.

Only a few days into the project along Route 93 and the old bridge there is already just scrap metal.

This project is to replace that bridge between Orangeville and Berwick, but with the bridge out, there's a detour in effect adding nearly five miles onto the trip.

"I have to go around the back mountains and come back," said Joe Gyimesi.

Gyimesi says he'll take the detour almost every day to get to the Ezzyk produce farm stand. It's a popular spot this time of year. It's right near the bridge and requires that detour from Berwick.

"We wanted to make sure we got the sweet corn," said Dale Krothe of Berwick. "We get here no matter what's blocked off."

"We'll be here, because we like sweet corn and this is the best," added Fern Krothe.

The timing is bad for the closure during the farm stand's busy month of August but customers aren't staying away.

"We have our signs up. We put them up early. Our locals seem to do OK with it," said Lorraine Tewell of Ezzyk Produce. "They always seem to come back for more corn."

PennDOT says drivers won't have to deal with this closure for long. Crews are going to be working pretty much around the clock to get this open again in three weeks.

"21 days, I can do anything for 21 days," said Tewell.

Even though it's not a long project, it does take some getting used to. There are plenty of signs warning the road is closed ahead, but at the farm stand they watch car after car drive right by them.

"Everyone's going down, same one's coming back. I don't think they're believing the signs," Tewell said.

PennDOT Expects route 93 to reopen August 21. The detour is clearly marked in the Berwick and Orangeville areas.

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