Skywalk at Kinzua Bridge State Park PA to close for maintenance

Pennsylvania’s popular Kinzua Bridge State Park Skywalk is expected to be temporarily closed for parts of September and October and then in November for a rehabilitation project that could take more than two years to complete.

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn recently said in a news release that the walkway is expected to close Nov. 19 and a maintenance project will begin in early 2025 and last through the fall of 2027. The Kinzua Creek walkway and trail will be closed.

History:Decades of flood control, memories of Kinzua Dam

The elevated walkway was inspected in June after high winds hit the Pennsylvania Wilds area in Mount Jewett, McKean County. The DCNR reported that engineering inspectors found no structural damage and the site was quickly reopened. The DCNR noted at the time that structural and rehabilitation work was already scheduled to begin in 2024.

The Kinzua Bridge State Park Visitor Center will remain open during the work period, as will the picnic tables and pavilion, playground and observation deck, the DCNR said.

The DCNR said the elevated walkway is safe to walk on and will be open for fall foliage viewing this year. However, temporary closures are likely next September and October for installation and inspection.

The DCNR said the walkway will be open for approximately two months each year during the work period to allow views of fall foliage. Work will stop due to winter weather.

Further:Do you want to see wild elk in Pennsylvania? This is what you need to know

The Times-News previously reported that the 339-acre state park is centered around the elevated walkway, which rises 301 feet above the valley floor. The viaduct on which it was built was the longest and tallest railway structure in the world. A tornado partially demolished the structure in 2003 and the elevated walkway opened in 2011.

Bids were accepted starting Wednesday for work that will include

removal of platforms and sleepers to access the towers;
the addition and replacement of steel “where thinning has occurred”;
reinstallation of railroad ties and platforms;
installation of new plexiglass in the viewing area;
handrail replacement; and
Shot blasting and painting of all steel.

The skywalk and Kinzua Creek Trail may close unexpectedly due to inclement weather or bad weather forecast. Before visiting, check the Kinzua Bridge State Park website for closure updates or call the park office at 814-778-5467. The park is open daily from sunrise to sunset, although day-use areas close at dusk. Visitor center days and hours change seasonally, but it is open daily from 8am to 6pm from mid-March to early November.