CLEARFIELD – A nine-county area in north-central Pennsylvania saw road and bridge improvements in 2017 worth more than $158 million, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).
Improvements included roadway paving and resurfacing, safety enhancements and bridge rehabs, repairs and replacements. Completion of these projects helps lower overall numbers of structurally deficient bridges and addresses the structural integrity of deteriorated pavements, bringing smoother, safer roads to motorists.
“Our staff works hard to set priorities and maximize our funding dollars, and the projects we’ve completed in 2017 are proof of that,” said PennDOT District 2 Executive Karen Michael.
“We’re joined in this effort by our planning partners in Centre County, SEDA-COG, and North Central Regional Planning with the common goal of bringing transportation improvements across each of our nine counties.”
PennDOT District 2 finished 41 major projects this year, including 20 bridge replacements, repair and preservation of more than 45 other bridges, and paving of 150 miles of state highway in Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Juniata, McKean, Mifflin and Potter counties.
Funding from Act 89, Pennsylvania’s transportation plan, allowed District 2 to expand work on several of these projects. Act 89 was also instrumental in making Phase Two of the Potters Mills Gap project a reality as well as the new, wider bridge and roadway enhancements on the Waddle Road project in State College.
Through Maintenance Operations, District 2 also paved an additional 175 miles of roadway, lowered the number of structurally deficient bridges by replacing six box culverts and one bridge and improved another 86 miles of roadway through micro-surfacing and seal-coating. Three of these 16 projects were made possible through ACT 89 funding.
In addition, District 2 provided plowing and road clearing services throughout the 2016-17 winter season, making use of 76,743 tons of salt, over 103,000 tons of anti-skid, and more than 1.2 million gallons of brine across the nine counties.
The district also entered into some unique partnerships to foster roadway improvements. In June, a partnership with JKLM Energy LLC brought funding to address upgrading weight restricted sections of Routes 1001 and 4013 in Potter County.
The project included roadway drainage improvements, full depth reclamation, asphalt overlay/paving and guiderail updates for 9.2 miles of roadway.
In July, PennDOT partnered with Seneca Resources Corp. and Bencor Global Inc. to finance more than 7 miles of rehabilitation on Routes 1004 and 1001 in Elk County. The work lifted a 10-ton weight posting on those routes through drainage improvements, overlay and other work.
PennDOT is currently reviewing its 2018 resurfacing and overall construction program for the north-central region.
For more information on projects occurring or being bid in 2018, those made possible by or accelerated by the state transportation funding plan (Act 89), or those on the department’s Four and Twelve Year Plans, visit www.projects.penndot.gov.
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