May 8, 2008 By Rebekah Sungala 4 min read

South Union Township supervisors said Wednesday that work on the Matthew Drive upgrade project is progressing as expected. Supervisor Robert Schiffbauer said ground breaking should occur in mid- to late June.

“The Matthew Drive upgrade project is about to begin,” he said, noting that crews are currently working to move utility lines so that construction can occur.

In regard to the project, supervisors unanimously voted to hire Dick Corp. of Pittsburgh as the project construction inspector of the multimillion-dollar project.

The project involves widening the road to provide two lanes of through traffic each way on 1,760 feet of Matthew Drive from its intersection with Route 21 to just north of the Kmart intersection and 900 feet of widening on the Route 119 ramps. The project also involves the installation of traffic lights and turning lanes.

Schiffbauer said the project is estimated to cost about $2.5 million to $3 million and is being funded through the state Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration.

In March, supervisors voted to appoint K2 Engineering of Uniontown as the project construction inspector and named Dick Corp. as the second alternate in case K2 Engineering was unable to fulfill the duties. Pennoni Associates Inc. of Pittsburgh was selected as the third alternate.

Schiffbauer said K2 Engineering was not able to complete the work because of a scheduling conflict and did not want to delay the project.

Supervisors said they are confident Dick Corp. is capable of doing the job well, noting that the company has experience dealing with federal and state inspections.

Schiffbauer said engineering firms are generally paid about 10 percent of the project cost, which means Dick Corp. will receive about $270,000 for its work.

In other business, supervisors said the township is having a problem with people driving all-terrain vehicles on public roads.

Supervisors Chairman Rick Vernon said code enforcement officers fielded several complaints regarding ATVs last month.

Vernon said code enforcement officers can cite the drivers if residents are willing to testify before Magisterial District Judge Joseph M. George Jr. Residents need to be able to identify the driver and know the date and time they saw the ATV on the road, he said.

“Our code enforcement officers can patrol but they can’t stop the quads. We know it’s a problem, but we need help from the residents to prosecute the drivers,” Vernon said, noting that residents can report ATV activity by calling the township building at 724-438-5480.

In unrelated matters, supervisors invited the public to attend the National Road Festival celebration in Hopwood on May 17.

Supervisor Thomas Frankhouser said festivities will occur from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the crowning of the 2008 King and Queen of Hopwood occurring at 11 a.m. in the parking lot of the Hopwood Fitness Center on Route 40.

Frankhouser said the crowning of the king and queen will be immediately followed by the dedication of the new stamped concrete sidewalks, constructed as part of Hopwood’s streetscape project.

The streetscape project was paid for in part with a federal grant from the office of U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Hollidaysburg, and administered by PennDOT.

Frankhouser said Shuster will attend and be the main speaker at the dedication ceremony for the sidewalks.

In addition, Frankhouser said the wagon train will stop in Hopwood around noon and that the annual Hopwood parade will start at 1 p.m.

Staff Sgt. Thurman S. King of Hopwood will serve as the parade grand marshal. King has 25 years of military service and served two tours of duty in Iraq. He was injured Dec. 26, 2004, while serving overseas and was awarded several medals, including the Purple Heart.

The next supervisors’ meeting will be held at 4 p.m. June 4 in the township building.