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Pa. official defends county roads
NEW CASTLE, Pa.
A Pennsylvania Department of Transportation official commented on Lawrence County’s recent listing among the worst 100 counties in the nation by a Washington, D.C., group called Transportation for America for its percentage of structurally deficient bridges.
District 11 Executive Dan Cessna attended the Lawrence County commissioners’ meeting Tuesday and acknowledged that out of 284 state bridges in Lawrence County, 106 are structurally deficient. Of these, he said 20 are under construction this year. He added that in 2012, at least nine more bridges will be fixed.
He also explained that “structurally deficient” does not mean unsafe but only that one bridge element, either the substructure, superstructure or deck, has reached a threshold where it eventually could become unsafe.
He said he is concerned about the next few years as state dollars become tighter and federal highway funds may be reduced. He said there may not be enough money after 2012 for maintenance of roads, and none for paving.
Cessna said that the state has no money for resurfacing and that the only resurfacing done on state roads this year will come from federal dollars. He said that the re- designation of the old Route 60 as Interstate 376 has drawn millions of dollars for its resurfacing over several years.
District 11 includes Lawrence, Allegheny and Beaver counties.
Cessna listed PennDOT’s major 2011 projects in Lawrence County scheduled for this year, which will amount to about $50 million, a little higher than 2010. They include:
U.S. Route 422 (Ben Franklin Highway): $19.7 million project will preserve six bridges and improve 10.5 miles of road in New Castle and Union, Shenango and Taylor townships. Work concludes in fall, 2012.
Pa. Route 18: $5 million project to replace Moravia Street and Jefferson Street bridges. Work concludes in fall, 2012.
U.S. Route 224 State Street bridges: A $14.5 million project to replace two structurally deficient bridges in Mahoning Township; includes the three span bridge over the Norfolk Southern Railroad and a four-span structure over CSX Railroad and the Mahoning River. PennDOT is constructing temporary bridges for use during construction to avoid lengthy detours. The project will conclude in spring 2013.
U.S. Route 224 (Young-stown-Poland Road): $1.2 million project to overlay the Mahoning Township portion from Carbon-Micco to the Ohio line. Work to be completed by fall.
I-376: The estimated $5 million to $7 million project includes concrete patching, joint sealing and other improvements from Route 422 to the Mitchell Road overpass. Work will be completed by late fall.