JACKSON TWP — Drivers who use the Interstate 79 off ramp at Exit 85 will have to find an alternate route starting this week.

Road work will be done to replace the ramp, which exits I-79 southbound and merges into Route 19. The project, which starts Monday, is part of Pennsylvania’s Rapid Bridges effort.

“The project will be completed in mid-June,” said Jeff Rossi, public information officer for Walsh/Granite.

Rossi said Route 19 northbound will “periodically” be closed from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. since the road runs underneath the bridge exiting I-79. This will be done for demolition and replacement of beams.

Exact dates for when these closures will happen are unknown at this time.

Motorists who usually take the southbound exit off I-79 to Route 19 will be redirected to Exit 88, Little Creek Road.

The Rapid Bridges project aims to replace and improve 558 bridges in 66 counties across the state. The project started in 2015 and is being done through a public-private partnership between the state Department of Transportation and Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners.

Keystone Partners will finance, design, replace and maintain the bridges for 25 years as part of the partnership.

“It won’t sit well with some, but we hope to get in and out of there quickly,” Rossi said of this most recent project.

To see all bridges scheduled or completed by county, visit www.parapidbridges.com.

[naviga:h3] Lane restrictions[/naviga:h3]

Beginning the first week of April, and continuing through an expected May completion, I-79 northbound will be restricted to one lane between exit 78, Cranberry Township, and exit 87, Zelienople.

Between the same exits on I-79 southbound, the lane restriction will occur between mid-May and mid-June.

For the next phase — road paving starting in June — the lane restrictions northbound will be limited to 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., except for Fridays when the restriction starts at 9 p.m.

The restriction southbound will be 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., except for Sundays when it starts at 9 p.m.

Along with paving, the work also will include milling and patching for a roughly 10-mile stretch between exit 76, Cranberry, and exit 88, Little Creek Road in Cranberry and Jackson townships.

Lindy Paving of New Galilee in Beaver County is the contractor for the project, which is set to be done by the end of October.

PennDOT reminds motorists that fines are doubled for traffic violations in work zones and to allow for delays in travel time.

Drivers can check conditions on major roads by visiting www.511PA.com.