The Pennsylvania Turnpike tomorrow will open one of the new twin bridges spanning the Allegheny River to eastbound traffic.

Turnpike CEO Joe Brimmeier hosted a dedication event on the massive bridge yesterday. Plans to cut a ceremonial ribbon were rained out.

The 2,350-foot-long bridge connecting Harmar and Plum towers 120 feet above the river and will carry three lanes of traffic. It provides expansive views of the surrounding Allegheny Valley.

The $193.6 million bridges are part of a total reconstruction and widening of the turnpike between miles 46.56 and 49.54.

The westbound span is scheduled to open in November 2010, Mr. Brimmeier said.

Forty thousand vehicles will cross the bridge on a typical day "and they're the true benefactors of the tolls they've been paying," he said.

Work began in May 2007. Officials said nearly 50,000 cubic yards of concrete, enough to fill Heinz Field 27 feet deep, and 3,000 tons of steel reinforcement are being used to build the bridges.

Two retaining walls, one of them seven stories tall, were built east of the bridge along Oakmont Country Club, through which the turnpike passes. Part of the project was a new pedestrian bridge over the turnpike for golfers.

Westbound turnpike traffic will continue on the existing Allegheny River Bridge until spring, when it will be temporarily shifted to the new eastbound bridge until the westbound span is completed.

The existing bridge, built in 1950, will be demolished.

The project also involves replacement of the Gulf Lab Road overpass. Gulf Lab Road, which has been closed at its turnpike crossing for two years, will reopen late this year.

"Folks don't think the turnpike is very efficient. It is very efficient," said state Rep. Joseph Markosek, D-Monroeville, chairman of the transportation committee, who attended the ceremony. "It gets things done and gets them done on time."

The general contractor is Walsh Construction Co. of Chicago, with local offices in Canonsburg.

First Published: October 24, 2009, 4:00 a.m.