In Waynesburg, a ribbon has been cut, signifying the closure of a multi-million dollar project that took roughly four years to complete, which aimed to increase the safety of Freedom Bridge.

The project was contracted at $15.1 million dollars and involved opening up a bottleneck that the bridge had created with only single lanes entering and exiting the intersection. Besides the expanded lanes, the project contractor, Gulisek Construction LLC, changed the hydraulic opening of Freedom Bridge, allowing more water to pass by. The project also involved two new railroad overpasses.

According to Valerie Petersen, a PennDot media spokeswoman, the project was created with roadway safety in mind—and the extended time it took to complete did not come as a surprise.

“A lot of our projects take many years to complete because of the large footprint that it would be in and [Freedom Bridge] was right in the general business district,” said Petersen.

Furthermore, Petersen said having to coordinate the project with the railway was an additional asset that had to be dealt with.

Other factors that had to be taken into account with the project included times of high water on Ten Mile Creek, which runs directly under the bridge. Notably, in December 2016, there was flooding in the general area after heavy rainfall. Although Petersen said the flooding and occasional high water did not directly impact the time of completion of the project, construction was compromised during those times.

“We couldn’t do any work during that time [of high water],” Petersen said. “Any time there is high water and you are working on a bridge, you cannot do that type of work, for the safety of our employees.”

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held for the project Wednesday, Aug. 30, in which state and local officials—including State Representative Pam Snyder—attended. Active construction on the site has ended, allowing traffic to revert back to normal flow; however, Petersen said the project is not yet finalized.

Since the project is not officially completed, Petersen said the final cost of the Freedom Bridge project is still pending. But, according to Petersen, the cost will be close to the original contracted amount.

After the conclusion of the project, Petersen said the patient motorists in the Greene County area made the project successful.

“The key thing is that PennDot goes out to try and work and clean the roadway to keep them in good repair and design projects like this,” Petersen said. “During the time frames we are working on projects like this, we are very thankful for the motorists in the general area of the community [who are] able to accommodate our projects while we are out there.”

Moving forward, Petersen said there are not any construction projects to the extent of Freedom Bridge in the immediate future of Greene County, but PennDot is always working towards safer roadways for motorists.