Repaving projects move ahead
TOWAMENCIN » It’s been said that Pennsylvania has only two seasons, winter and roadwork, and the latter could kick off soon.
Township officials heard an update on the planned road repaving projects slated for this year and several left over from 2021.
“We did discuss the 2021 road paving project, which was delayed last year and will be moving forward this spring,” said supervisor Rich Marino.
Last spring, the supervisors voted to authorize two years of road repaving projects to make up for a shutdown of such projects in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19 on local budgets and the related shutdowns of business activity. By the end of 2021, parts of that combined list had been completed, but not entirely due to weather delays and later scheduling issues with the contractor.
Marino gave updates on both during the board’s Feb. 23 meeting, noting that the township’s staff has not yet heard back from the contractor on the remaining list of roads to pave for 2021 and will attempt to contact them again for a revised schedule.
“The PennDOT paving window opens on their type projects, their liquid fuels projects, on April 15, so we expect that to be started around that time, but we do have to hear back from the contractor,” Marino said.
Supervisor Joyce Snyder then asked for clarification on the term “liquid fuels projects,” and Marino explained that the road repaving projects are typically funded by money allocated by PennDOT, that’s taken in from taxes on fuel and then reallocated to local municipalities.
“Basically, the money that we pay at the gas pump, goes into a fund that PennDOT then redistributes to municipalities for road improvements,” he said.
Roads slated for paving in 2021 but not yet completed include Rampart Lane, Dean Drive, Parkview Drive, Finch Run, Brookside Circle, Spect Place, Pheasant Hill Road, Candlewood Way, Theresa Way, Dorchester Way, Beth Lane, Norwyck Way, Green Lane Rd (Kriebel Road to Pheasant Hill Road), Cambridge Way, Old Forde Way, Winchester Way, Village Way, and a townshipowned section of Bustard Road, according to a list provided by the township.
For the next set of roads slated for paving in 2022, Marino told the board that the list of roads to be repaved has been released for bids, which are due back in mid-March, along with a list of curb ramps slated for upgrades to current Americans with Disabilities Act standards in 2022 for road repaving in 2023.
“The paperwork has been completed, but we do have a couple of ramps to be installed along PennDOT roads which require a highway occupancy permit, and we are moving forward with that,” he said.
“It’s expected that we’ll have the paving bids in for approval by the board in March, and the ramps, the ADA ramps, in April,” he said.
Roads scheduled for paving in 2022 include Ridgewood Way, Hackney Way, Rittenhouse Road, Tanglewood Way, Saratoga Lane, Tweed Way, Linden Way, Clemens Road, and Farm Way according to the township. ADA ramps scheduled for repairs in 2022 ahead of road repaving in 2023 include Militia Drive, William Penn Way, Carpenter Lane, Constitution Road, Lantern Lane, Salem Way, Orchard Road, Pickwick Lane, Conestoga Lane, Stoneybrook Lane and Weikel Road.
During his public works committee report, Marino also gave updates on several other ongoing projects around town, including a planned culvert replacement on Allentown Road that could conflict with construction slated for this summer on the next phase of the Route 309 Connector project.
“They are continuing to coordinate with PennDOT staff concerning the construction schedules for the projects,” Marino said.
PennDOT expects to release the 309 Connector project schedule details in the near future, he added, and once that schedule is in hand, PennDOT’s project manager for that project will continue talks with Towamencin’s traffic engineer and the PennDOT personnel responsible for the culvert work.
“It was good we were out in front of that, because the project manager for the 309 Connector knew nothing about the Allentown Road project. So we are working on that,” he said.