PennDOT outlines Fayette County projects
With transportation funding lessening, the state Department of Transportation is prioritizing projects based on traffic flow.
“This is quite a challenge. It causes a lot of sleepless nights. We’re going to invest where the traffic is,” said PennDOT District 12 executive Joe Szczur.
Szczur was one of several featured speakers Thursday at PennDOT’s annual community outreach meeting for Fayette County.
The meeting was held at the Maggie Hardy Magerko auditorium at Penn State, The Eberly Campus. Each year, officials from District 12, which includes the counties of Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland, present overviews about PennDOTs projects, philosophy and procedures.
Szczur said over the past few years, the focus has been on bridges and during that time, roads have been deteriorating exponentially.
“We’re gonna do what we can with what we have,” Szczur said.
Rachel Duda, assistant district executive, said the allocation for the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) has dropped from more than $500 million in the 2011-2014 plan to $350 million in the 2013-2016 plan, which is being finalized.
The upcoming plan includes 49 percent funding for bridges and 51 percent funding for roads. Duda said the past plan includes 70 percent funding for bridges and 30 percent funding for roads.
“The bridges are in bad shape. We know we have a crisis with them. But roadways are getting worse,” Duda said.
In the district, out of 4,890 bridges, 616 are structurally deficient, or about 26 percent, Duda said. The average bridge age is 57 years old.
Duda said nine projects are on tap throughout the county for this year, which include bridge cleaning and Washington, a street scape improvement in Brownsville, guide rail upgrades, resurfacing of Route 51 from Route 201 to Randall’s and replacement of the Grant Street bridge in South Union Township.
A big project that has begun is replacement of the Masontown Bridge, which crosses the Monongahela River via Route 21 and connects Fayette and Greene counties. The $50 million project is slated for completion in Oct. 2014.
Bill Kovach, assistant district executive for construction, said the “high-profile” project is designed by SAI Consulting Engineers and the contractor is Brayman Construction Co.
“It is extremely important to people in Greene County and Fayette County. It is one of our premiere projects,” Kovach said.
The project will replace the two-lane antiquated bridge with a new, four-lane structure.
Other planned projects include the installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Route 21 and Easy Street in South Union Township and widening of Route 21 from the Uniontown Mall to Thompson’s Crossroads.
PennDOT also will be undertaking various maintenance projects, according to Chris Sleighter, county maintenance manager. They include paving of 9.83 miles of various sections of Route 40, Route 119, New Salem Road and Route 857 as well as surface treatment of 154 miles of roads in the county.
Szczur said PennDOT is a $300 million business working to do the best job it can to create a quality road system. He said District 12 has 785 employees, many of whom are involved in their communities. He said last year, District 12 employees raised $41,657 for charitable causes.
“People look at our agency as a roadblock,” Szczur said. “They are living in the past.”