The Route 534 bridge in Kidder Township needs to be replaced, and along with that comes the delays, the detours and the dismay that can stretch throughout a lengthy construction time.

But, thanks to J&R Slaw Inc. in Lehighton, the entire project will be cut down to about two months, saving time, energy and money for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation construction crew, and even better, limiting the inconvenience to drivers."This is what's called an 'ABC' - an accelerated bridge construction," project manager Jeremy Klotz said. "It's much faster than conventional construction. All of the products will be pre-manufactured, and then shipped to the job site, and then the contractor just has to put the puzzle together."And while the process itself isn't exactly new, this will be one of the first projects of its kind in the area."This is the first bridge in Carbon County that's using this process," plant superintendent Ken Eck said. "Other states have been doing this, but this is the very first unit we've had assembled in our plant."The concept for the accelerated bridge construction began at PennDOT, where engineers and officials evaluated the possibilities that would yield the best results for all involved parties."No two projects are the same," PennDOT district press officer Ronald J. Young Jr., said, commenting on the accelerated bridge construction. "We had to ask, 'Can it be done fast, with prefabricated parts?' For this one, they looked at it and saw that it could be done."The imposing bridge rests in the midst of the huge J&R Slaw yard, close the edge of Route 895, where you may have seen it as you passed by on the highway. Klotz said that the parts were produced in house over the course of a month and half, and as it stands, the bridge is just about done.Over Thursday and Friday, one last slab was being constructed indoors as laborers worked on the finishing touches outside.This week, PennDOT officials will examine the structure and perform tolerance tests to ensure stability.Tear down and installation on the bridge over Swamp Run just east of Route 903, will begin in the next two or three weeks."The first thing they have to do are the abutment ends. Then there's the pre-stressed bridge beams, and then the slabs, which go on top," Eck said.Thanks to accelerated bridge construction, the daunting project can be slimmed down to a mere fraction of previous operations."With this, the contractor has 60 days to rip the old bridge out and put the new one in," Klotz said. "With conventional construction, it could be six months to a year of detouring and lane closures."Considering that the bridge project was pushed off until heavy traffic from the raceway died down in the early fall, and the older methods would have pushed construction well into the winter, the accelerated construction method is bound to benefit commuters and road workers alike."When our design team puts a project's package together for bids, we always look at the most cost efficient approach in order to decrease the burden on the community," Young said.Eck and Klotz are hoping that the 534 bridge may stimulate interest in other ABC projects, which could be particularly helpful throughout Carbon and surrounding counties."Especially your smaller bridges, that's where it benefits the most," Eck said.The bridge is but one of numerous projects that Slaw is currently handling, though it is another notch in their belt of specialty orders. In fact, a recent multimillion dollar job in New York included blue, white and gray concrete, with glow stones mixed in the blue. Eck and Klotz pointed out that their expertise extends from walls to stadiums - including PPL Park and Giants Stadium - to highways, and everything in between, though meticulous work quality is what sets them apart."We do all sorts of projects, from structural to high-end architectural," Klotz said."And everything we do is custom, hand-built."