DUBOIS – Within about two years, the intersection at DuBois Regional Medical Center will take on a new look, one that will make access to the hospital much easier.
Construction on the DRMC Access Improvement Project is set to begin as early as spring 2009.
DuBois City approached the state Department of Environmental Protection regarding congestion on Main Street and Dixon Avenue, and PennDOT decided that the project was a necessary one.
“There’s a partnership between the city and PennDOT to get better flow and better access to the hospital,” said Dean Ball, project manager with PennDOT, said during a session for the public to view the plans for the project.
There are two options for the construction with the actual start time dependent upon right of way acquisitions.
One of the two options will save two businesses in the area and take less land from nearby properties, but will require a greater curve in the intersection. The other option will require that the two businesses move but will have less of a curve in the intersection.
No matter which option is chosen, both Dixon Avenue and Main Street will be widened with left turn lanes added, and a traffic signal will be placed in the intersection.
Tom Fox, a vice president at consultant URS Corp.’s Pittsburgh office and project manager for the DRMC Access Improvement Project, said the final decision on which option will be chosen is up to PennDOT with input from nearby property owners, local officials and those affiliated with DRMC.
“The final design might not be one of the two options we have,” he said, noting that changes can be made in the design process.
Bob Dudash, chief traffic engineer with URS Corp., explained that there will be five phases of the construction project with an eye on keeping access to DRMC easy for emergency vehicles during the construction period.
The first phase will be to build a relocated Hospital Avenue to the west of where the current road is located. In phases, two and three, Dixon and South Main Street will be the focus of work with one-half of each road remaining open through the project. One lane will remain open northbound on Dixon and one lane on Main will remain open in an eastbound direction. Also during this time, new 5-foot sidewalks will be built to go on either side of the roadways in the intersection area.
“The intent is to get into DRMC quickly,” Dudash said.
In the fourth phase, South Main Street Extension will be milled during the daylight hours, and in the fifth and final stage, all roads will be paved.
Dudash said that even with such a large scope of work, the project will be completed by September or October 2009.
