ST. MARYS – Work to improve a northern section of Route 255 in the city of St. Marys is continuing, with a major traffic switch coming soon. The project stretches from the Tractor Supply Co. intersection to Route 120/State Street in St. Marys. Work this year is concentrating on the section between Wendy’s and Satterlee & Sons.
Once the project completes in late summer 2014, travel along this section of Route 255 will be smoother and more efficient. PennDOT will issue regular updates on this project.
Activity the week of Sept. 16 will include:
• The contractor will begin work on Sunday night at 8 p.m. and continue through Thursday.
• On Monday night, the contractor will begin paving the final wearing surface on the northbound and southbound lanes of Route 255 between Iron Run Road and the Tractor Supply intersection. Motorists should be alert for changing traffic patterns. Flaggers will be in place at intersections to direct traffic.
• MOTORISTS ALERT – CHANINGING TRAFFIC PATTERN: On Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, the contractor will complete paving on Route 255 and begin to shift traffic into a new traffic pattern. The new traffic pattern will be in place Wednesday morning. This work will take place on Route 255 between the intersection at Tractor Supply and Iron Run Road. The new traffic pattern will allow for two lanes of northbound traffic and two lanes of southbound traffic and a center turning lane. To control traffic, flaggers will be at the following intersections: Tractor Supply, School and Ford road and Plaza Drive. Flaggers will remain at these intersections until the temporary traffic signals are relocated and activated during dayshift on Wednesday.
• On Thursday the travel lanes on Route 255 northbound and southbound will be closed during daytime working hours to perform work adjacent to the highway. These lanes will re-open at the end of the shift.
• State Street (Route 120) between the Route 255 intersection and Rock Street will be restricted to one lane during working hours to install a sanitary sewer line. This work will be performed all week long during daytime work hours. Flaggers will be in place to direct traffic.
• The contractor will continue prepping and paving driveway tie-ins during daytime hours along Route 255 between the Tractor Supply intersection and Pistner Road.
• The current traffic pattern between the intersection with Tractor Supply Co. and extending to the intersection at Iron Run Road will be in place until Tuesday night. This pattern restricts traffic to one lane northbound and one lane southbound with a center turning lane. Motorists are reminded that the center turn lane is for turning movements only.
• Access to businesses within the work zone will be maintained during normal business hours.
All work is weather and schedule dependent. Motorists are advised to watch for slow-moving and stopped vehicles through the entire work zone. Motorists are advised to be cautious when traveling through the work zone and should obey the posted speed limit.
Overall work includes pavement repair, drainage improvements, addition of a right-turn lane for Route 255 northbound traffic at Vine Street, re-alignment of the Arch Street intersection, a right turn lane on Route 120 east for traffic heading south on Route 255, and other construction items. Dave Gutelius Excavating Inc. of Mifflinburg is the contractor on this $12.8 million project.
About a one-mile section of roadway separates this project from PennDOT’s other Route 255 project that stretches from north of Greenbriar Drive to just south of the Kersey/Route 948 intersection.
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