Washington County commissioners voting on Southern Beltway easements
Washington County commissioners are expected to vote today on easement agreements with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission for construction of the Southern Beltway.
Two aerial easements would permit the turnpike commission to build bridges for a connector road over the Panhandle Trail in Mount Pleasant and Robinson townships and a construction easement would allow installation of drainage pipes, Lisa Cessna, county planning director, said at Wednesday’s agenda meeting.
Elevating the road, which currently crosses the trail, would improve trail access and safety, Cessna said.
The connector road will run from Route 980 to Noblestown Road, said Renee Colborn, turnpike commission spokeswoman.
The trail locations where the bridges will be built are close to each other, Colborn said.
The connector road is part of the beltway section running from Route 22 to Quicksliver Road to the trail, which is part of the larger Route 22 to Interstate 79 section of the beltway.
Bidding for the project is scheduled to open in February 2017 and construction is expected to begin in late 2017, Colborn said.
The proposed agreements, which the county and turnpike commission have been negotiating for a couple months, calls for the commission to pay $12,500 for the aerial easements and $2,100 for the construction easement, Cessna said.
In unrelated business, the commissioners will consider adding janitorial services to the county’s lease with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh for the Ave Maria Parish in Bentleyville, which the Bentleyville Senior Center has been using for its Meals on Wheels program.
The county has been renting space at the church for the program while the center is undergoing a renovation, said Randy Vankirk, county purchasing director. The one-year lease expired Aug. 31, 2017.
The janitorial services will add $233 a month to the rent. The new total rent would be $833 a month.