The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Bridging Pennsylvania Constructors (BPC) said Aug. 12, 2025, that the closure of Jenks Street in the town of Brookville will be extended through the summer of 2026 to allow for the partial demolition of the Interstate 80 bridges that pass over the roadway.
The project is in support of the larger I-80 North Fork Bridge Project, a $328 million effort to upgrade the freeway and its structures in Jefferson County, northeast of Pittsburgh.
BPC's subcontractor, Pittsburgh-based Fay, had closed Jenks Street/Pa. Highway 4003 in September of 2024 to allow for partial demolition of the I-80 bridges over the roadway.
The shutdown was originally anticipated to end on Dec. 31; however, due to project scheduling needs, the closure will now remain in effect through the summer of 2026, PennDOT noted. Once a specific date is scheduled to reopen the road, additional information will be released.
Work also is under way in Pine Creek to replace the Richardsville Road/Pa. 4005 bridges over the interstate highway, as well as the extension of the North Fork Park Culvert, which carries I-80 traffic across the tributary to North Fork Redbank Creek.
In PennDOT's most recent update on the project, it noted that Richardsville Road, which was shuttered in January 2025, will remain so until March 2028. During that time, crews will fully remove and reconstruct the roadway's bridge over the freeway.
The entire construction effort is part of the PennDOT Major Bridges P3 Program.
Major Builders Have Combined to Upgrade Bridges
Bridging Pennsylvania Developers — I, or BPD-I, is led jointly by Shikun & Binui Ltd. and Macquarie Capital as the lead project developers and equity members.
The BPC joint venture consortium includes the design and construction expertise of S&B USA Construction in Pittsburgh, and FCC Construction. S&B USA serves as the construction arm of Shikun & Binui and is also the parent company of Fay.
Other major bridge subcontractors on the I-80 North Fork Bridge Project include H&K Group in Skippack, Pa.; Wagman Heavy Civil in York, Pa.; Kokosing Construction Co.; and the lead designer, Michael Baker International — both of which are located in Pittsburgh.
The $328 million I-80 North Fork Bridge Project first got under way in June of 2024 with a projected completion set for the summer of 2028, according to the state transportation agency.
The interstate bridges are dual structures (one eastbound and one westbound) originally built in 1962 and most recently rehabilitated in 2013. They support freeway traffic over North Fork Redbank Creek and Water Plant Road within a deep gorge in the Jefferson County communities of Brookville and Pine Creek.
The existing bridges are separated by approximately 1,100 ft., with the Walter Dick Memorial Park located between and below the two structures.
Combined, the twin bridges are expected to carry approximately 30,900 vehicles daily — 44 percent of which is truck traffic.
PennDOT and its construction partners are aiming to provide safe, efficient and effective crossings of I-80 over the creek and Water Plant Road that appropriately accommodates interstate traffic with respect to connectivity, mobility, loading and geometry, according to an online description on the agency's website.
The main spans of the existing bridges are steel two-girder systems with floor beams and stringers. In addition, the structures are fracture-critical since many of their components are nonredundant.
Both spans also have problematic fatigue details which have received multiple retrofits during their service lives, PennDOT noted. The department added that the eastbound bridge is in poor shape, while the westbound span is in fair condition. Inspections are required on a six-month and one-year basis, respectively.
As a result of their multiple issues, both bridges are nearing the end of their serviceable lifespans.
This particular section of I-80 has a posted speed limit of 70 mph but does not have the proper horizontal and vertical geometry to meet the 70 mph design criteria, according to PennDOT. Many vehicle crashes — nearly twice the statewide average — have occurred on this segment of I-80 due to a substandard curve on the western approach to the eastbound bridge.
