26-05-2025
Route 219 reopened in Boynton after temporary structure installed at site of flood-damaged bridge
BOYNTON, Pa. – PennDOT on Saturday reopened a portion of U.S. Route 219 in southern Somerset County that had been closed after the Boynton Bridge was damaged during flooding May 13.
The road was reopened in the village of Boynton, about a mile north of Salisbury, weeks ahead of PennDOT's initial early June estimate, PennDOT said in a press release.
PennDOT and its contractor partners completed a temporary structure over Piney Creek to restore travel after the floodwaters destroyed the upstream center pier of the 102-year-old Boynton Bridge, the release said.
The bridge carried an average of 4,700 vehicles daily along Route 219, which connects Somerset County to Interstate 68 in Maryland.
PennDOT described the highway as an 'important artery for commercial and emergency vehicles, as well as surrounding communities.'
PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll, who visited Somerset County May 16 and viewed flood damage to the bridge, lauded the work to get a temporary bridge in place less than two weeks after the flooding.
'I'm proud that the department was responsive and effective in restoring traffic on U.S. 219 in Somerset County as we would be with any road, with any bridge, in any county in the state,' he said in the release.
Work started May 16 to remove pieces of the damaged bridge so a temporary structure could be placed over it, PennDOT said. The temporary structure was installed Thursday and Friday, with guiderail installation and line-painting completed around noon Saturday.
The road's reopening lifts detours that had been in place since May 14.
PennDOT is reviewing plans for the next phase of the project and developing a timeline for construction of a permanent replacement bridge, the release said.
An initial plan suggested the new span would be completed by late 2026.
