For the longest time, PA has had the crappiest roads in the country.  We still do, I think, but it sure seems like we might be finally trying to get out of last place.  Only a few hundred yards down the road from me, a 50-year-old rusted out 60 foot beam bridge is being replaced.  A half mile in the other direction, another bridge is having its spanned utilities (including a rusted gas main) replaced.  Lots of general paving as well going on all over, some on roads that have been neglected for years.

Did something happen to trigger all this?

By the way, I'm not complaining one bit!  

If you ask me, Lancaster County is the road construction capital of the world.

Lancaster seems like a very unlikely epicenter of road construction...

Oh but it is, it is....... they may not have a lot of roads, but they be fixin' all of them.

Or come on up to Reading, where they figure they can work on ALL the bridges and just screw shit up altogether.

A lot of states are working on roads currently. I think it's still due to obamas BS plan to reduce unemployment. Roads/bridges also needed money dumped into them and where else to better get your attention than when it fucks up your day.

I know a guy who works in the factory where they make Snausages (in a Blanket).  They're even paving the parking lot there.

I like how PennDOT decided to tar and chip the shoulders and between the lanes on I79 South of Washington PA.  That was brilliant.

I know I've seen signs saying that whatever work is paid for by funds from the Kenyan's plan to boost the economy- or in this case, kill it.  They built a really nice footbridge over one of the roads leading into the city of Reading. Actually pretty nice. Only problem is it's horribly congested for long periods of the day at that area and what was needed was widening the road. But hey, 10-15 people can cross safely now- the 5-8000 cars spewing exhaust and curse words can wait.

They still do that tar-and-feather thing?  I thought that died in the 80's?  I used to HATE seeing that.  Barely a half step above painting the damn road.

All the time on country roads

 

When I worked at the State Hospital they paid a contractor to come in and paint lines in all the parking lots. He even painted lines in the one behind our building. Would've been nice if it wasn't gravel.  Best part? It was a clearly marked one way in/out lot, and he painted the lines backwards.

Probably the gas tax increase that Tom Corbett pushed through before he lost the election.

Road construction and maintenance is directly tied to the Federal Highway Bill - no bill, no work!

But it does take both the Bill and Congress approving Funding. $326 Billion over 6 years but unless Congress votes for the funding for each year it is just a hollow bragging point.

Work is also controlled by your US Congressman and somewhat by US Senators and to a lessor extent by State Representatives. (pet projects steered to friends)

Rusty Bridges???

Most folks don't realize that A588 & A572 is a corrosion resistant Weathering Steel introduced in the 1930's. It gets its' resistance by forming a coat of RUST on the surface. In fact it is never painted and all grease, oil and paint must be removed to be accepted.

Disadvantage is COST, appearance and effects (rust stains) Also not suited for salty environments.

32 years at High Steel Structures in Lancaster, PA  Can't go under a bridge without looking it over
(love the old iron bridges, also weathering resistant)

We even did an experimental Aluminum Bridge! Really had a lot of potential due to the light weight vs strength. And there were optional items, like a heated deicing system. But in the end, the COST killed it

Here are a couple of pis of the rust on the bridge I mentioned in the O.P.

That is be a bit more extensive than what I would want to see

We often pulled in the ones we were replacing or refurbishing and none looked like those.

The Pittsburgh area has been awash in road construction, new bridges, etc. over the last few years.  There seems to be a lot going on at the same time this year.  Some kind of funding must have been cut loose for all this to happen at nearly the same time.

I agree.  Someone somewhere somehow opened the funding flood gates.

We need it though, I mean heck, look at the pics I posted above.  That decay is real.

Seems like my whole damn county is under construction right now. Bradford county here.

you can thank our new crazy high gas tax for all the road repairs...... it will be increasing again on jan 1st

Does this have anything to do with the lines in the road being painted this week

Oil prices are way down which means asphalt is super cheap