Editor's note: Second in a series of stories produced from the annual visit by PennDOT District 3-0 officials to The News-Item.
SHAMOKIN - The biggest local road project planned by PennDOT in the coming year is the resurfacing of Route 225 between Trevorton and Shamokin.
The most appreciated work, however, may be the resurfacing of a number of streets in Mount Carmel that have been in various stages of disrepair over the past four years because of utility work.
Paving on parts of Third, Fifth, Seventh, Oak, Birch, Market and Hickory streets and the Avenue is scheduled to take place between June and November, PennDOT officials said this week.
"Everywhere they've done utility work the last four years," paving will take place, said Sandra Tosca, a Kulpmont native who leads the department's nine-county District 3, headquartered in Montoursville.
Tosca and Eric E. High, assistant district executive for design, said PennDOT works with utility companies in planning repaving for after the digging is done. It doesn't always go perfectly, Tosca said.
"Utility work is very challenging, especially if they run into problems. It puts them behind schedule," she said. "We don't know all the details" in the case of Mount Carmel, where complaints have been plentiful in the past few years, she said.
High said PennDOT generally develops plans about five years in advance. Particularly in urbanized
areas, contact with utility companies is key.
"The last thing we want to do is resurface or reconstruct a roadway and a year later they come through and cut a pipe trench," he said.
Tosca said motorists can expect some more pain before all is done in Mount Carmel. Milling of the streets and exposure of the brick base on some of road will result in rough rides. Parking restrictions will be needed, too, to allow traffic flow to continue.
The Fifth Street work will actually start at the Columbia County line east of the borough, where the road is considered Route 61, or the Centralia Highway. Curb ramps and other Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements will be included, High said.
A number of the streets are extensions of state routes, including Third (2038), Market (2040), Hickory (2023) and Oak (2029), and are thereby state-maintained highways. (Further details below.)
As for the Route 225 project, scheduled for bid opening in September with work beginning next year, will start one mile east of Trevorton and continue for 4.8 miles to Route 61 at the Cameron Bridge. The work will include drainage improvements, and it's otherwise a normally planned resurfacing project.
Traffic will be maintained by daylight flagging operations. No detours will be in effect, but motorists are expected to experience delays.
High said the cost estimate for the project is $2.4 million.
"We're working with Coal and Zerbe township officials to get that project coordinated," he said.
Further details on these and other road and bridge project planned in the county include (much of these correspond with markings on the accompanying map):
- Resurfacing 1.82 miles of Route 54 from Pine Street to Route 61 in Mount Carmel.
- Microsurfacing 2.24 miles of Route 54 from Riverside to Boyd Station.
- Milling and resurfacing 2.16 miles of Route 61 from the Columbia County line to East Avenue in Mount Carmel.
- Resurfacing 1.5 miles of Route 61 from Fifth Street in Kulpmont to Route 54 at Mount Carmel.
- Milling and resurfacing .44 mile of Route 61 from Ranshaw to Lancaster Switch.
- Resurfacing .16 mile of Route 125 in Upper Mahanoy Township from the Schuylkill County line to State Route 3010.
- Bridge replacement on Route 147 over Fiddlers Run in Lower Mahanoy and Jackson townships.
- Microsurfacing 5.36 miles of Route 147 from Hallowing Run Road to Shamokin Creek.
- Seal coating 1.21 miles of Roue 1037 from Route 11 to Ridge Road in Point Township.
- Resurfacing 2.17 miles of Route 11 between Northumberland and Point Township.
- Seal coating 1.21 miles on Route 1037 from Route 11 to Ridge Road in Point Township.
- Resurfacing 4.56 miles on Route 2006 from Snydertown Road to Route 54 in Rush Township.
- Bridge replacement on Route 2009 over a tributary to Shamokin Creek in Ralpho Township.
- Bridge replacement on Route 2013 over Benny's Run in Shamokin Township.
- Bridge superstructure rehabilitation on Route 2013 over Shamokin Creek in Shamokin Township.
- Resurfacing .87 miles on Route 2013 from Irish Valley Road to Route 61 in Shamokin and Ralpho townships.
- Seal coating 2.63 miles on Route 2016 from Airport Road to Route 54 in Ralpho Township.
- Seal coating 4.1 miles on Route 2018 from Mountain Road to Route 54 in Ralpho Township.
- Seal coating 2.24 miles on Route 2021 from the Schuylkill County line to Route 54 in Mount Carmel and East Cameron townships.
- Resurfacing 1.75 miles on Route 2022 from Hollow Road to Irish Valley Road in Shamokin Township.
- Milling and resurfacing .23 miles on Route 2023 from Seventh to South Market streets in Mount Carmel.
- Milling and resurfacing .23 miles on Route 2023 from Seventh to Fifth streets in Mount Carmel.
- Resurfacing 1.87 miles on Route 2025 from Routes 3010 to 125 in Upper Mahanoy Township.
- Milling and resurfacing .08 miles on Route 2029 from Hickory Street to Oak Street in Mount Carmel.
- Milling and resurfacing .03 miles on Route 2029 from Fifth Street to Route 61 in Mount Carmel.
- Milling and resurfacing .61 miles on Route 2038 from Third Street to Birch Street to Market Street in Mount Carmel.
- Resurfacing .15 miles on Route 2040 from Market Street to Seventh Street to Fifth Street.
- Seal coating .86 miles on Route 2040 from Seventh Street in Mount Carmel to Columbia County line.
- Seal coating 9.94 miles on Route 2044 from Gotshall Lane to Schuylkill County line in West and East Cameron townships.
- Seal coating 12.2 miles on Route 3004 from Routes 225 to 125 in West Cameron, East Cameron and Little Mahanoy townships.
- Resurfacing 2.92 miles on Route 3007 from Reading Turnpike to Schwaben Creek Road in Washington, Upper Mahanoy and Jordan townships.
- Bridge superstructure rehabilitation on Route 3010 from Route 1005 over Delaware Run in Delaware Township.
- Bridge superstructure rehabilitation on Route 3010 over Schwaben Creek in Washington Township.
- Seal coating 4.04 miles on Route 3010 from Routes 147 to 225 in Jackson Township.
- Resurfacing 3.03 miles on Route 3010 from Route 225 to Rebuck in Washington and Jackson townships.
- Resurfacing 4.07 miles on Route 3010 from Leck Kill to Stitzer Road in Upper Mahanoy Township.
- Bridge replacement on Route 3019 over tributary to Mahantango Creek in Jordan Township.
- Bridge deck rehabilitation on Route 4002 over Wilson Run in Riverside.
- Resurfacing .33 miles on Route 4005 in Snydertown.
- Seal coating 1.78 miles on Route 4005 from Stonington to Snydertown.
- Seal coating 3.87 miles on Route 415 from Irish Valley Road to Route 61 in Shamokin Township.
- Resurfacing 3.3 miles on Route 4019 from Route 225 to Boyles Road in Lower Augusta and Little Mahanoy townships.
- Bridge replacement on Route 4022 over Boile Run in Lower Augusta Township.
- Seal coating 1.72 miles on Route 4022 from Dornsife Mountain Road to Route 890 in Rockefeller and Lower Augusta townships.
- Resurfacing 7.88 miles on Route 4026 from Routes 890 to 61 in Shamokin and Rockefeller townships.
More on bridges
High said PennDOT regularly inspects all state-owned bridges at least once every years. He said structurally deficient bridges are inspected more frequently if their condition warrants. A structurally deficient bridge is safe, but in need of substantial repairs or replacement to bring it to current standards.
He said there are 2,905 state-owned bridges in District 3, including 341 in Northumberland County. There are a total of 222 structurally deficient bridges in the district, including 23 in Northumberland County.
In 1998, there were 815 structurally deficient bridges in the district.
Justin D. Blakeney, assistant district executive for maintenance in District 3, said Bradford County has the most state highway miles in the district with 902 and also has the most miles of poor highway with 380 (42.1 percent). Montour County has the lowest percentage of poor highways at 7.2 (14 out of 188 miles).
Northumberland County contains 560 state highway miles and has a poor highway percentage of 10.6 (59 miles).
Blakeney said the gross maintenance allocation for the district for fiscal year 2011-2012 totaled $129.9 million. Bradford County had the highest allocation with $26.1 million, while Montour County had the lowest with $5.6 million. Northumberland County's allocation was $16.6 million.
Rick Mason, community relations coordinator for PennDOT District 3, said Pennsylvania has 25,000 state-owned bridges, which ranks third in the nation. He said Pennsylvania still has the highest percentage of structurally deficient bridges, but that PennDOT continues to address that problem, including with stepped-up preventative maintenance efforts.