Beaver County bridge to be closed for nearly a month

AMBRIDGE, Pa. — The Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge shut down to traffic for nearly a month on Monday morning.

“Right now, about 80%, we do a lot not just with individuals, but there’s a lot of businesses we deliver to in the industrial parks,” said John Palavros, who owns Ambridge Italian Villa.

That’s 80% of Palavro’s business gone, at least for a month. The closure of the bridge is preventing him from getting food orders to the communities he serves on the other side of the Ohio River.

“Drivers take too long to get there, the food gets cold and then we are paying delivery drivers to be on the road for 45 minutes to take someone food. It just doesn’t work, and coming out of the shutdown and issues we had last year, we are still trying to catch up on bills,” Palavros said.

TRAFFIC: Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge month-long closure (11/8/21) TRAFFIC: Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge month-long closure (11/8/21)

He feels it’s just another hit to the small businesses in Beaver County, while others tell Channel 11 the detours are causing headaches.

“We go to church at Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Hopewell Township. Normally it takes 15 minutes to get there, but going to Sewickley it’s going to add another 45 minutes to the trip,” said Ambridge resident Mike Fike.

Drivers will have to cross the river at either the Sewickley or Monaca bridges. County commissioners tell Channel 11 the repairs are essential after major issues were found on the bottom of the bridge in the last routine inspection.

The bridge is expected to open in early December, and these residents hope the construction sticks to that timeline.

“Last time they closed it for two years a few years back, and it really impacted our business; it almost shut us down,” Palavros said.

The total detour rote is roughly 11 miles, and the total cost of the project is $400,000.

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