DALLAS — Continued work on the Dallas roundabout is scheduled to begin the end of March starting with a three-week closure of a section of Church Street, said James May, a PennDOT spokesperson.

Back Mountain motorists should plan on traffic delays as a series of road closures and detours associated with the ongoing construction of the Dallas roundabout this summer, May said. The state project is on track for a summer 2019 completion, weather pending, he said.

Church Street will be the first to close.

“Church Street will be closed from the Route 309 intersection to Foster Street,” May wrote in an email. “Access to the (Dallas) Post Office and CVS will be via the planned signed detour.”

Detours will be signed.

Construction crews will realign Church Street’s intersection with Lake and Main streets, Route 415 and Machell Avenue, as well as installing sidewalks, curbing, American with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalk ramps and stormwater drainage, May said.

When Church Street is completed, barriers on Route 415 will limit truck traffic through the area for nine months, while the road is realigned for the roundabout, curbing, stormwater drainage installed, and ADA sidewalk ramps are constructed, he said.

“We are maintaining two lanes of traffic on Route 415 through all phases of this project,” May said. “However, there will be a truck detour in place for northbound trucks with trailers greater than 33 feet in length through a number of phases totaling about nine months between this year and next year. Southbound trucks will have no restriction.”

Northbound truck traffic will be detoured using Routes 309, 29 or 118

“There will be various stages throughout that time where the barriers will be lifted for a short period, and then put back in place,” he said.

Main Street will be closed from mid-July to late-September for realignment, curbing, stormwater drainage, sidewalks and ADA sidewalk ramps, May said.

“Main Street will be closed from the intersection with Route 415 to the other side of the Dallas Borough Building driveway,” May said. “However, a revised plan is currently being reviewed to possibly split this phase and do half of Main Street at a time to prevent full closure.”

A detour will direct traffic from Main Street to the intersection with Route 309 near Offset Paperback Manufacturers.

Patrons will still be able to access downtown businesses during this closure, May said.

“Some of the businesses have a driveway. Others will utilize street parking outside the closure and access businesses on foot,” May said. “The contractor will be maintaining areas for pedestrian traffic.”

The Dallas roundabout was first proposed in a 2005 Back Mountain Area Transportation Study done by Edwards and Kelcey. Its completion is dependent upon the Upper Demunds Road realignment project in Dallas Township.

The realignment project will reroute Upper Demunds Road to connect with state Route 309 near the Dallas Township Municipal Building. The project also involves creating left turn lanes to West Center Hill Road and Hildebrandt Road.

The new section of Upper Demunds Road is slated to open in late April depending on the Route 309 traffic light activation, May said.

Suez is expected to install a waterline along the new section of Upper Demunds Road this summer.

“There is still a right turn lane needing to be constructed from SR 309 onto Upper Demunds as planned when the waterline relocation is complete,” May said.

The Upper Demunds Road project is on schedule to be completed in June 2019 but the contractor is currently ahead of schedule, May said.

Continued construction of the Dallas roundabout will start in late March with the closure of Church Street for three weeks.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_roundabout.jpg.optimal.jpgContinued construction of the Dallas roundabout will start in late March with the closure of Church Street for three weeks. Eileen Godin | Dallas Post

The new section of Upper Demunds Road is scheduled to be open this spring.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_Upper-Demunds.jpg.optimal.jpgThe new section of Upper Demunds Road is scheduled to be open this spring. Eileen Godin | Dallas Post

By Eileen Godin

egodin@timesleader.com

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