by KYW’s Pat Loeb

More detours go into effect this week on the bridges that link City Avenue with Kelly Drive, Lincoln Drive, and Ridge Avenue.

The southbound exit from Lincoln Drive will be closed for 1½ years.

The work is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, and PennDOT spokesman Gene Blaum says all cars will be forced to get off southbound Lincoln Drive onto Ridge Avenue:

“At the bottom of the ramp we’ve installed a temporary traffic signal, and from that intersection motorists will be able to turn right or left or they can continue straight across Ridge Avenue, where they’ll access the ramp that will lead them onto Kelly Drive.”

Blaum says about 20,000 cars a day use southbound Lincoln Drive, so it will mean delays and inconvenience.  But he says the bridges are structurally deficient and must be replaced:

“They’re old and they’re deteriorating.”

He says the work is being done in phases to make it manageable for commuters, but that means it won’t be finished until the fall of 2011.

Listen to KYW Newsradio at :02, :12, :22, :32, :42, and :52 past every hour for “Traffic and Transit on the Twos,” around the clock.

Traffic cameras and interactive map