PennDOT's schedule ends the detour on Interstate 79 and Route 198 on Oct. 23. The agency has not announced an opening date.

PennDOT's schedule calls for the Route 6 detour southwest of Saegertown to end Oct. 23, potentially reopening the new bridge over French Creek to traffic after more than six months of construction. The agency has not announced a specific opening date.

The detour uses Interstate 79 and Route 198. Route 198 runs east from Conneautville and through Summerhill Township before meeting I-79 at Exit 154, so valley drivers headed to Saegertown have shared the stretch between the interstate and the borough with detour traffic.

Where
The bridge is on Route 6 between Morris Road and Black Road, about 2 miles southwest of Saegertown, in Woodcock and Hayfield townships.

When

• Bridge closed: April 2026

• Old bridge demolished: June 5

• Detour scheduled to end: Oct. 23, according to PennDOT's March project announcement. The agency's April closure notice said the detour would stay in place through October.

• Full project expected to finish: December 2026, weather permitting

Detour routes

• Vehicles: Interstate 79 and Route 198

• Bicycles: Route 198, Park Avenue Extension (Route 1001) and East Cole Road

What's being built

• A concrete bridge with 11-foot travel lanes and 5-foot shoulders

• Milling and paving on both sides of the bridge

• New pavement markings, guide rail and drainage

The new bridge replaces a metal truss bridge built in 1937 that PennDOT rated in poor condition. About 7,100 vehicles a day used it on average.

Check conditions
511PA is free and available 24 hours a day.

• Online: 511PA.com

• Phone: Call 511.

• App: 511PA for iPhone and Android.

Project details

• Cost: $6,933,024, paid entirely with state funds

• Contractor: Palo Construction of Clarion

Limitations
PennDOT has not announced a specific opening date. Because the project is not scheduled to finish until December, work may continue after the bridge opens. The agency has not said whether drivers should expect lane restrictions during that time.

Background
This is the second truss bridge replaced on this section of Route 6. The first, just south of Saegertown, opened Oct. 31, 2025.