Apr 10, 2002 By Patty Shultz 4 min read

CONNELLSVILLE – While some uncertainty remains as to how they will navigate through the reconstruction of East Crawford Avenue, residents are looking forward to the roadway improvement. “There’s no doubt something has to be done,” said Walter Scheller while reviewing design plans for the upcoming PennDOT project.

On Monday, the state transportation department met with residents to discuss the impending roadwork that will close off vehicular traffic along East Crawford Avenue from Snyder Street (Route 711) to Breakneck Road for a two-month period beginning in July.

Matthew Skovera, PennDOT project manager said residents like the Schellers, who have homes or businesses along the road, will have to find alternate paths to enter their properties.

“Most of them have accesses to alleys or other roads at the rear of their properties, so there shouldn’t be too many problems,” said Skovera.

Mary Scheller said she and her husband would fall into the category of those without easy access.

“We’re going to have to talk to our neighbor about letting us park along his property,” she said.

Skovera said that a few homeowners have made special arrangements with PennDOT for exiting onto East Crawford Avenue because of their inability to obtain other access.

“It will be hard for them traveling through the area, especially with the road torn up,” he said, noting the vehicles will be tagged in order to utilize the throughway.

Other users, will be rerouted from East Crawford to Breakneck Road onto Falcon Drive and Locust Street before entering onto Snyder Street to East Crawford when traveling in a westerly direction into the city. Those departing the city will use the same streets in a reverse order. Emergency vehicles will be permitted access throughout the construction area during the two-month project.

“I think the people that would normally use East Crawford will find another way to get around,” said Skovera. “The truck traffic will be the same, because they can’t come through the city, but I would imagine two-thirds of the other traffic will find alternate routes.”

Phase one of the project will begin at the intersection of Breakneck Road and East Crawford Avenue, where the road surface will be removed and replaced with an eight-inch stone base and 12 inches of concrete.

Although a bituminous material will be used throughout the remaining one-half mile project, Skovera said the concrete will provide a more substantial surface for the more than 1,400 trucks that daily use the roadway.

After the intersection work is completed, the contractor will move to replace the remaining roadway.

Skovera said the project would entail the removal of all materials to determine the condition of the base and to allow for water and gas companies to upgrade service lines.

“The (Connellsville) Municipal Authority won’t be doing anything with their lines,” he said. “However, (Pennsylvania-American) Water Company and (Columbia Gas) thought this would be a good time to replace their main lines in the area.”

There are no plans for overhead utility lines to be replaced, Skovera added.

The recently installed sidewalks along the roadway will not be damaged or destroyed during the project.

“We will not walk away from this project if there is a damaged sidewalk,” said Skovera, adding that any roadway damage incurred along the detour route would also be repaired before the contractor departed the work site.

A contract for the project will be awarded in May with work to begin by July 1.

Display boards providing information about the roadwork to be conducted along East Crawford will be erected along Route 711 to alert truck drivers and other motorists to the impending project at the end of June.

Skovera said he is hoping the traveling public and affected homeowners will be patient during the project that will be dusty and noisy and inconvenient to those along the roadway.

“I hope that they remember in two months they’ll have a new road,” he said.