Pennsylvania officials weigh roadwork options

By Jeanne Starmack

PennDOT is considering how to keep bridge work from interfering with businesses in the town.

VOLANT, Pa. — Bridge work that might close the span on Route 208 over the Neshannock Creek here has merchants concerned the summer tourist season next year will be ruined.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is planning to replace the deck of the bridge next summer. It is on the 2009 list of projects because the department will take bids on it this summer, said Dan Cessna, executive director of PennDOT’s District 11.

PennDOT was planning to close the bridge completely for three to four months in the summer because the Wilmington School District didn’t want the closing to interfere with its buses.

But business owners here say a summer closing will be devastating for them.

The borough has many small gift shops and restaurants that cater to tourists who like to visit the large outlet mall near Grove City and drive through the countryside that’s noted for Amish farms. Merchants there make most of their money in the summer and fall, said Michelle Peace, the owner of Miss Scarlett’s Gift Parlor on Main Street.

“They’re going to close the road, and it will crush us,” she said last week. “We’re mom-and-pop businesses, and the economy is hurting us enough.”

Peace said merchants are worried an 18-mile detour proposed by PennDOT will scare off customers because people simply won’t bother to go that far out of their way to get to Volant.

Next door at another gift shop called The 1906 Mercantile Co., owner Cheryl Geidner said the Volant Merchants Association might route its own detour if the bridge closes.

A scenic detour using back roads, she said, might only be about three miles long and would take tourists through the Amish-dotted countryside, which is what they want to see anyway.

At a public meeting several weeks ago in Volant, PennDOT representatives gave information and got suggestions on how to minimize the damage to the tourist season.

Cessna said the department is still considering options.

It is weighing whether keeping one bridge lane open is a safe option, he said. A footbridge, which was another suggestion, is not possible because there isn’t time to get a right-of-way access for it, he added.

Another possibility, he acknowledged, is keeping a bridge lane open for foot traffic, even if not for vehicles.

He also said the department has not decided for sure it will close the bridge during the summer.

starmack@vindy.com

List of 2009 projects in the county by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

BRIDGES

Route 18 Mahoning River Bridge rehabilitation: Estimated between $500,000 and $1 million to rehabilitate the bridge on Route 18 over the Mahoning River in New Castle. The project also includes replacing the bridge deck. Work will begin this fall and conclude in late 2010. Detours will occur.

Route 168 Edwards Run Bridge replacement: This $1.5 million project will replace the bridge on Route 168 over Edwards Run in North Beaver Township. Work will conclude in late summer. Some detours will occur.

Route 208 bridge: This estimated $1 million to $3 million project will replace the deck on the bridge in Volant Borough. Work will begin in 2010. Bids will be solicited for the project this year.

U.S. Route 422 Rosepoint bridge: Started in fall 2008, this $4.9 million project will rehabilitate the bridge over Slippery Rock Creek in Slippery Rock Township. Lane closures will occur. The project includes a new bridge deck, pier and superstructure concrete repairs, and approach roadway improvements. The project will conclude this fall.

U.S. Route 422 bridge over Route 2001: This $2.8 million project will begin this spring to preserve the bridge on Route 422 over Route 2001 in Shenango Township. The project includes expansion joint, substructure and deck repairs, resurfacing and pavement joint improvements. One lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction. The project will conclude in summer 2010.

Grove Street Route 2004 bridge: Work to rehabilitate the bridge on Route 2004 over Neshannock Creek in New Castle will begin in late July. The estimated $2 million to $4 million project includes deck, rocker-bearing and steel-beam replacement and full painting.

Route 2005 Van Gorder Mill Road bridge: Work to replace this bridge over Slippery Rock Creek in Wayne Township started in late 2008. The bridge has been closed with a detour in place since November 2007 after a routine inspection by PennDOT identified significant corrosion on the bridge trusses. Work will conclude in the fall.

ROADS

Route 422 resurfacing: Resurfacing and improving about 5 miles of Route 422 from Lapin Lane to Route 551 and from Route 551 to Matthews in Mahoning, Pulaski and Union townships. Work on the estimated $3 million to $5 million project begins in late June.

Route 19 improvements: This $1.7 million project includes resurfacing and drainage, guide rail, signs and other minor improvements on Route 19 from Butler County to south of Route 108 in Scott and Slippery Rock townships. Lane closures will occur. Work will begin in the spring and conclude late this year.

Route 60 improvements: Work on this estimated $5 million to $10 million project will begin this fall and conclude in late 2010 to improve Route 60 from Beaver County to Mercer County. Work includes interchange upgrades, modifying lane configurations and improving signs. Some traffic restrictions may be necessary.

Bridge-expansion dam replacements: Across District 11, PennDOT will invest $3.8 million to remove and replace bridge-expansion dams to prolong the life of bridge structures throughout the year.

RESURFACING

Route 18 Wilmington Road intersection improvements, Neshannock and Wilmington townships: Mill and resurface at the intersections with Maitland Road and Route 208.

Route 65 Second Street/Fountain Avenue, Ellwood City: Mill and resurface with base repair from Beaver County to Fountain Avenue and at the intersection with Fifth Avenue.

Route 108 Harlansburg Road, Hickory and Scott townships: Base and joint repairs, mechanized patching and seal coat from Hawthorne Street to Brown Road.

Route 168 Third Street/Moravia Street, Shenango and Taylor townships and the City of New Castle: Base repairs, mechanized patching and seal coat, milling and overlay from Business Route 422 to Route 18.

Route 168 Center Avenue/Third Street, Taylor Township: Mill and resurface at intersection of Route 3015 and Industrial Street.

Route 351 Fourth Street/Crescent Avenue, Ellwood City: Mill and resurface and base repair from Lawrence Avenue to Route 65.

Source: PennDot