By Eileen Godin

egodin@timesleader.com

JACKSON TWP. — After years of neglect, a deteriorating section of Chase Road will receive two new culverts that will lead to repaving.

Luzerne County Assistant Engineer Larry Plesh announced Monday his department received approval from the state Department of Environment Protection last week to replace two culverts under Chase Road. The culverts span two crossings over Brown Creek located in a county-owned stretch of Chase Road between Hillside and Huntsville roads, he said.

The section of road has jarred vehicles, residents and Jackson Township supervisors for years.

Last June, during a supervisors meeting, residents voiced their frustration about the road’s deteriorating condition. At this time, John J. Wilkes Jr., supervisor chairman, stated the supervisors reported the condition of the road frequently to the county engineers.

“We were supposed to do it a few years ago, but DEP shelved the project,” Plesh said. “The two culverts needed to be replaced before PennDOT (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation) would help us pave the road.”

Luzerne County engineers had to resubmit their culvert replacement plans to DEP for approval a second time, Plesh said.

The plans call for two culverts — a 16-foot by 6-foot culvert and a 10-foot by 6-foot culvert for a combined estimated total project cost of $520,000.

Construction bids on the two culverts will be advertised in the next two to three weeks, he said.

Plesh anticipates construction to start this summer and end in the fall, weather permitting. Plans to manage traffic during construction are being developed, Plesh said.

Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLNews.