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Work underway on the first section of Johnsonburg Bypass

The new Route 219 Johnsonburg Bypass, Elk County, is expected to cost an estimated $38 million to construct.  Currently, Route 219 goes through the heart of Johnsonburg Borough, where it cuts through a Domtar, Inc. paper mill site that is located on the east and west sides on the borough’s Center Street.  The highway carries an estimated 7,700 vehicles per day.

The project will be done in two construction sections.

In March, 2006, PennDOT awarded the bid for the first of the two sections (Section C10) to Francis J. Palo, Inc. of Clarion, Pa. at a cost of $11,871,005. 

The Section C10 project area is located north of the Route 255/Route 219 intersection on the east side of the Clarion River and extends to Grant Street on the western bank.  Most of the construction will be done along the western bank of the Clarion River.

Work got underway on Section C10 in April 2006 and is expected to be complete in early November 2007.  The section involves the construction of the 694-foot-long bridge, a sound barrier on the western side of the bridge, and the approaches to the structure.  

The new bridge will go over the Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad, Inc. line and will connect with Grant Street on the west side of the Clarion River.

In addition to drainage improvements and lighting, Palo also is creating several wetland replacement areas, totaling a little more than an acre, in the construction area along the river.

The second Section, D10, will complete the Bypass by crossing the Clarion River’s west branch and connecting to Route 219 north of Johnsonburg.  This section, estimated at a cost of $26.6 million, is expected to be bid in late 2007 and be complete in two years.

When both sections are complete, the new Bypass will be about 1.5 miles in length.

Copyright 2007 Maguire Group