Market Street to be Resurfaced this Summer

by Jonathan Weaver

As M&B Services crews work on sidewalks in downtown Kittanning, a PennDOT project is looming along Market Street.

Friday, PennDOT District 10 executives announced that the roadway (also known as State Route 1038) will be resurfaced probably in May utilizing Act 89 funding.

Assistant District Executive for Construction Paul Koza said the resurfacing should not affect much traffic, however, since work will be completed from 6PM until 6AM.

“During the day, the roadway will be opened to traffic,” Koza said. “The contractor’s probably going to start in May on that project – shouldn’t take a whole lot of time to do that because it’s a short section of road.”

Koza estimated that after milling, paving could take about two months.

“We’re telling them ‘Don’t do it until night.’ (But) when crews do work at night, it takes a little bit longer because obviously you can’t see as well as you can during the day. They are going to start closing things down and start traffic control up at 6(PM) and then they have to have everything off the roadway before 6 o`clock the next morning.

“Hopefully, there won’t be a whole lot of delays since it’s going to be at night.”

Bids from construction crews will be opened April 7.

Koza said paving was held off because of the current Market Street Revitalization Project. He has been in touch with M&B Services owners

Also along Route 1038 from Grant Street to the Route 85 intersection, PennDOT crews will be reheating the asphalt and re-oiling it through a process called hot in place recycling to rejuvenate the pavement.
Less than two miles away, a portion of State Route 66 will also be under construction soon.

Executives estimate $1-2.5 million will be spent repairing concrete along the roadway ending at the Edgewood Intersection.

Koza said designers have worked on that project for about nine months.

PennDOT crews gave the winning contractor – which will also be selected April 7 – 50 days to work on travel lanes and 57 days for passing lanes.

Ramp concrete patching will also take place in that area at night so as not to impact drivers on their way to work.

Of the four projects scheduled for this Summer in Armstrong County, only one is a bridge – Sunnyside Bridge #2 in Valley Township.

Plum Contracting crews will work on the Route 85 bridge, resurfacing it and replacing a culvert. Temporary signals are to be installed later this week.

A weekend detour causing drivers to traverse Margaret Road as well as Routes 422 and 28 is also expected later this Summer.

Armstrong County Maintenance Manager Andrew Firment encouraged patience during the upcoming projects.

“There’s going to be a lot of projects going on, you’re going to see a lot of people constructing work zone set-ups. Pay attention to the signs,” Firment said. “These people are just like me and you – it’s important that they get home to their families.”

Assistant District Executive for Design Brian Allen said notable projects next year in central Armstrong County include a Briar Hill Bridge replacement (which carries traffic over Route 422) in East Franklin Township, the Oakland Cemetery Bridge replacement along Route 66 in Manor and Bethel Townships and a safety improvement project along Route 422 in Kittanning Township.

All of the projects next year or slated for the next three years, however, are subject to change due to funding, emergencies or priority changes.

To treat more than 1,000 miles of Armstrong County roads, PennDOT crews rely on a $4.3 million – which increased by 16 percent in the past year and a $16.5 million maintenance budget.

Firment said District 10 budgeted about $4.5 million for maintenance and materials this past winter.

PennDOT crews used more than 8,500 tons of salt during the past five months and more than 10,400 tons of anti-skid. Those numbers are less compared to the 20,400 tons of salt and nearly 20,000 tons of skid used in Winter 2014-15.

PennDOT District 10 includes Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Indiana and Jefferson Counties.

Out of the 120,000 miles of public roads in the State, more than 72,000 miles worth (about 60 percent) are owned by individual municipalities.

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