Man Found Urinating, Carrying Ecstasy on Sewickley Bridge

Police said a man walked down the middle of the Sewickley Bridge while carrying the drugs cocaine and Ecstasy.

A man charged with carrying cocaine and Ecstasy in his pocket while walking down the middle of the Sewickley Bridge will face a preliminary hearing today in Leetsdale District Court.  James C. Bulger, 38, of Sewickley, was found walking down the center of the Sewickley Bridge at 3 a.m. towards Moon Township, according to a criminal complaint filed by Sewickley Police.  When stopped by police, Bulger said he was walking to his home on Chestnut Road—located in the opposite direction of where Bulger was headed.  Bulger, who had urinated himself before police arrived, was found carrying a sandwich bag containing cocaine and several MDMA pills, also known as Ecstasy. He is scheduled to appear today before Magisterial Judge Robert Ford for a …

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Driving Detour: Sewickey Bridge Sees Increased Traffic

Police said the first day for the detour went just as authorities imagined.

The area of Route 65 and the Sewickley Bridge experienced more congestion on Monday than usual, but nothing beyond what police expected. “Traffic increased like we imagined,” said Sewickley Police Chief James Ersher. Ersher said there were no major incidents to report on Monday, the first day of the long-term closure of the Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge. PennDOT expects the bridge to remain closed through November as crews work to complete repairs. Signage posted along Route 65 notifies travelers that the Sewickley Bridge is the designated detour. Ersher said police will be stationed at the bridge during peak hours until the end of the week. After that, he suggests that motorists plan accordingly. "If people have major issues, they're going to…

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Sewickley Police Plan Traffic Control when Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge Closes

The nearby bridge is expected to remain closed for several months as part of a two-year repair project. The Sewickley Bridge is again the designated detour.

When the Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge shuts down for repairs on March 4, Sewickley police plan to have a presence on the Route 65 side of the Sewickley Bridge. Sewickley Police Chief James Ersher said officers will assist with traffic control  during the first week of the closure at the Sewickley Bridge, designated again as an official detour. PennDOT has authorized to pay for the extra manpower, he said. "We expect the same congestion we did last time," Ersher said. "Hopefully everybody will do what they did last time and find their alternative routes." The Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge is expected to remain closed until October 2013  as part of a two-year $16.6-million repair project. Crews are performing steel repairs under the bridge deck …

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Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge Reopens Today After Eight Months

The Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge will reopen Thursday afternoon after being closed since early March because of structural repairs.

Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge Reopens Today After Eight-Month Closure

The bridge will remain open until March 2013, according to PennDOT.

8:30 p.m. UPDATE: The bridge is reopen. 8 p.m. UPDATE: Crews are still working to seal the bridge deck. Cold temperatures are delaying the drying process. Anticipated opening is now 8:30 p.m. The Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge will reopen Thursday afternoon after being closed since early March because of structural repairs. PennDOT spokesman James Struzzi said the bridge will remain closed to pedestrians through winter. The sidewalk has been temporarily removed for improvements. After the bridge is reopened to traffic, short-term lane closures will continue as needed through winter. Struzzi said the 10-foot span bridge will remain open until March 2013 when it will close again until October 2013 to complete repairs. The bridge closed for …

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Where is PennDOT Paving this Weekend?

Just click the blue dot on the map to see which areas you may want to avoid.

As the summer driving season winds down, PennDOT crews will be busy again this weekend on several key highways in our area, including Route 65 at the Sewickley Bridge. We've provided you with a simple map to see where the construction crews will be busiest.  Just click on the Weekend Construction Work link at the bottom of the map to see which areas you might want to avoid. Looking ahead, PennDOT is also planning weekly maintenance work Monday, Sept. 24 to Friday, Sept. 28 in Sewickley Heights. Patching and shoulder improvements will occur on Lang Road from Glenfield Road to Scaife Road.  Follow Sewickley Patch on Facebook and Twitter. For more news, sign up for our email Newsletter.

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PennDOT Plans Roadwork Between Sewickley Bridge and Route 65

The weekend work was postponed two weeks ago due to Sewickley's annual Harvest Festival.

Work to improve the approach between Route 65 and the Sewickley Bridge is scheduled to occur this weekend in Sewickley, according to PennDOT. Weather permitting, the work will run 8 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Monday.  PennDOT postponed the work originally scheduled two weekends ago in order to accommodate the annual Harvest Festival in Sewickley.  Jim Struzzi, PennDOT spokesman, said crews will be removing and replacingconcrete, and milling and paving the roadway between the bridge and Route 65, also known as Ohio River Boulevard.   Motorists can expect single-lane, alternating traffic on the bridge approach with traffic shifted to one side of the roadway. A single-lane closure will also occur on northbound Route 65 on Saturday and Sunday …

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Update: PennDOT Cancels Weekend Sewickley Bridge Work

Repairs will still occur this weekend on Route 65, but lane restrictions will be lifted during Harvest Festival.

Work will continue this weekend on Route 65 near the Sewickley Bridge, but bridge repairs are canceled and traffic restrictions are being lifted during Sewickley's annual Harvest Festival, according to PennDOT. PennDOT spokesman Jim Struzzi said lane closures on Route 65 will be postponed between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday. "We removed the restrictions (Saturday) to minimize impacts on the festival traffic," Struzzi said.  In addition, Struzzi said plans to repair the Sewickley Bridge apron this weekend have been canceled. Lane restrictions on the bridge are necessary during repairs because it allows concrete work to set, he said. The repairs will occur another weekend, he said. Milling, patching and other work will still …

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Trouble Ahead? PennDOT Plans Route 65 and Sewickley Bridge Work

Sewickley officials expect the work, which begins next week, will have significant impacts on traffic and the upcoming Harvest Festival.

Trouble Ahead? PennDOT Plans Route 65 and Sewickley Bridge Work

Sewickley officials expect the work, which begins next week, will have significant impacts on traffic and the upcoming Harvest Festival.

Motorists who think the Sewickley Bridge area is a commuting nightmare now may want to steer cleer of Route 65 over the next couple of weeks. That's because PennDOT is gearing for two projects expected to have a huge impact on motorists traveling on the bridge and Route 65. Borough Manager Kevin Flannery said he received notice Friday of PennDOT's plans to begin work Tuesday, Sept. 4 on Route 65 from the Sewickley Bridge to the Beaver County line. The work will occur during the hours of 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.  For motorists, this will mean one-lane traffic in both directions. The work is expected to be completed in two to three weeks. In addition to the Route 65 work, beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7, PennDOT is also planning to repair the …

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Larissa Dudkiewicz

3:02 pm on Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Update: PennDOT's spokesman is out of the office until tomorrow, but a news release sent out today states the Route 65 work is taking place from Sept. 4 to Saturday, Sept. 8 weather permitting. I previously reported the work would take two to three weeks.   more ›