Paving planned for Route 40 on Summit Mountain
What began as an emergency repair project for slide damage on Summit Mountain on Route 40 has turned into an opportunity to repave both sides of the highway up to the scenic overlook. The state Department of Transportation earlier secured $1.6 million from PennDOT’s highway maintenance emergency fund to repair damage caused by a June landslide. The damage resulted in large cracks in the pavement and shoulder area of the road.
Frank Gavlick and Sons Inc. of Charleroi was awarded the $902,781 contract for the slide repair. The work area was approximately 400 feet long by 17 feet wide and 45 feet deep, from a point near where the Hopwood on-ramp merges with Route 40, around 300 feet beyond the excavation area.
The completion date of the project was scheduled for Sept. 1. Merle G. Bolen, Fayette County maintenance manager for PennDOT, said Tuesday that all that remains undone of the repair project is paving. He said a sub-contractor, Pompeii Construction, is expected to complete the paving work this week.
Until the work is done, the eastbound lanes are still restricted to one lane.
Meanwhile, since money was still available from the emergency allocation, PennDOT has contracted with Golden Eagle Construction Co. Inc. to perform milling and paving work on the other side road.
Bolen said on Tuesday crews began milling the westbound lanes at the scenic overlook and will continue down to the point where the concrete turns to blacktop near the Hopwood Exit. He said they are going over and above the original scope of work because of the good price that Gavlick provided and because the project was done in time.
On Sept. 15, the weeklong 84 Lumber Classic of Pennsylvania PGA tournament will begin at Mystic Rock at Nemacolin Woodlands. Bolen said he is anticipating that all the work will be finished by the beginning of the tournament.
“With the PGA event in two weeks, we want it to be completed,” Bolen said. He added that if work isn’t finished, plans are to make the provisions as least restrictive as possible.
Bolen said the two-inch milling and paving work on the westbound lanes should be finished by the end of the week. Then, crews will move over to the eastbound lanes.
“Our goal is to be finished by the end of next week and we’ll be right where we need to be,” he said.
By using the emergency funds, Bolen said no Fayette County maintenance money is being used for the work. He said without the funding that is now available, county PennDOT funds would likely have funding the paving work in a few years.
“We’re really getting a lot more than anticipated. This is like a gift,” Bolen said.