The scenic overlook on Montgomery Pike will close today for the majority of the summer as the Route 15 safety improvement project continues.
Traffic will be reduced to a single lane in each direction as a temporary concrete barrier is set, making it unsafe for the scenic overlook to remain open.
Because of the placement and height of the barrier, along with the single-lane condition for northbound traffic, there would be inadequate sight distance for vehicles leaving the overlook parking lot, said Rick Mason, public information officer for the state Department of Transportation.
The lane-restriction will occur from the northern end of Old Montgomery Pike Road, near the Kwik Fill gas station, to the overlook, Wise said.
A width-restriction will be in place to 11-foot-wide loads in the southbound lane and 14-foot-wide loads in the northbound lane, Wise said.
It is a two-year, $10.7 million project with Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc. as the prime contractor.
Other work to be done as part of the project includes intersection improvements, embankment work, drainage improvements and resurfacing. It is expected to be completed in late November 2013, Mason said.
It is the second of three safety improvement projects along the three-mile stretch of Montgomery Pike.
The first contraction ran from late March to the middle of October last year. It included widening, installation of a permanent concrete median barrier to separate opposing lanes of traffic, new drainage and resurfacing.
The $2,692,000 project took place from B&C Auto Wreckers to the PennDOT stockpile near the summit of Bald Eagle Mountain, Mason said.
The third contract is tentatively scheduled for construction in 2015, Mason said.
"It'll basically be similar activities (as the first and second contract), but on the middle section of the corridor," Mason said. "The first contract involved work on the southern portion of corridor. The current contract is the northern portion. The third and final contract in two years will cover the middle section, to tie the two other sections together."
A 2008 safety review showed a low crash rate on Montgomery Pike, but a higher fatality rate than expected. Based on the study, the safety improvement project was developed.
