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Route 21 construction underway

By Eric Morris emorris@heraldstandard.Com 4 min read
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Motorists should be prepared for possible traffic delays as construction on Route 21 progresses in South Union Township. Beginning in early 2015, drainage work will be performed at night, restricting traffic to a single lane.

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Large sections of concrete pipe and other construction materials line the side of Route 21 near the Matthew Drive in South Union Township as work to widen parts of a 1.6 mile stretch of the highway gets underway.

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John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard

Traffic moves past heavy equipment along Route 21 in South Union Township as work to widen the highway begins. The project will widen 1.3 miles of Route 21 to include two through lanes in each direction and a center turning lane.

Construction is underway on a major expansion of the commercial strip of Route 21 in South Union Township.

State Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 12 assistant construction manager Len Kubitza said preparatory work, such as building demolition, utility relocation and storm water drainage improvements, is ongoing for a project that will widen 1.3 miles of Route 21 to include two through lanes in each direction and a center turning lane.

The $18 million project with an anticipated completion of December 2016 will include an overhaul of the intersection of Route 21, Matthew Drive and the Route 119 on/off ramps.

The project area begins at a small bridge that carries Route 21 over Jennings Run near the Springdale Golf Course and ends 1.6 miles east near the Easy Street intersection at Uniontown Hospital.

According to Kubitza, the current phase of construction is being performed along Route 21 by utilities subcontractors — such as water, sewage and cable providers — to relocate certain utilities prior to roadway construction.

“For the most part, the project is on schedule,” Kubitza said. “There’s been no major modifications to anything we’ve come across yet.”

Building demolitions are mostly complete, although some remaining foundations need to be removed, Kubitza said. The driveway of Calvary Baptist Church has been relocated and PennDOT has begun construction to relocate College Avenue, which will be linked to Cherry Tree Lane and meet Route 21 opposite Daniel Drive. The current traffic signal at Cherry Tree Lane will be removed.

Part of the project involves rehabilitating the bridge that carries Route 21 over Route 119.

A minimal amount of work was planned for the first construction season, said Kubitza, but construction work will get into full swing by early spring.

“It will most likely start in mid-March,” he said. “The majority of snow removal will be behind us. That’s when we’ll start the earth work and roadway removal.”

Beginning in early 2015, Kubitza said, drainage work will be performed along Route 21 at night, which will restrict traffic to a single lane.

In preparation for the project, PennDOT acquired 57 rights of way from property owners along Route 21, around the Route 119/Matthew Drive intersection and near the rear entrance to Uniontown Mall.

In April, PennDOT officials said that the federal government would pay 80 percent of the project cost, with the state footing the remainder of the bill.

The project has been in the works for over a decade, said township supervisor Robert Schiffbauer, dating to a time when the county was seeking to highlight areas for potential economical development.

Funding for the project was allocated 7 or 8 years ago, he said, but the project was postponed soon after due to funding shortages. When it was later revived and aided by additional funds, Schiffbauer said there was no doubt the road was finally getting its makeover.

“It took awhile,” he said. “All of Route 21 was assessed. Eventually they’ll re-do Route 21 all the way to Waynesburg, (but) they prioritized this section and thought that it should be built first.”

According to Schiffbauer, this particular stretch of Route 21 was likely addressed first because of safety concerns, as the section of road has seen a “substantial number of accidents” over the years.

“It was also chosen because the upgrade would help with the encouragement of the economical development of an area that has already become the synergy of business in the county,” he added.

New traffic signals will be installed at five intersections in the project area, and new traffic signs and overhead signs will be installed at the Route 119 off ramps approaching Route 21. Eastbound traffic on Route 21 will now be able to turn left onto Matthew Drive.

Traffic will be maintained during construction, but lane restrictions will be in place and side roads will be detoured.

The project was designed by SPK Engineering of Uniontown and the prime contractor is Golden Triangle Construction Co. Inc. of Imperial.

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