MIDDLESEX TWP — The first of 558 state bridges set to be replaced in a public-private partnership opened in the township this morning.

The West Cruikshank Road bridge crossing over Glade Run had been closed since mid-June.

The state Department of Transportation earlier this year finalized its $899 million Rapid Bridge Replacement Project contract with the group that will replace the 558 bridges across the state during the next three years, including 11 in the county.

The idea of grouping the similar-sized bridges into a large bid allows the projects completed quicker and at a lower cost than typical PennDOT work.

The new bridge is longer and wider than the one it replaced and is designed to last as long as 100 years. The original bridge was built in 1929 and carried about 1,000 vehicles per day.

Two other bridges in Butler County are set to be replaced this year — Caldwell Drive over a tributary of Thorn Creek in Jefferson Township and Saxonburg Boulevard over Bull Creek in Clinton Township.