Luzerne County addressing five deteriorated roads in first phase of American Rescue-funded projects

Luzerne County plans to complete major drainage improvements on five county-owned roads in Wright Township in the first phase of projects that will be funded with a $9.96 million American Rescue Plan earmark approved by council in March, according to a new online report.

The five roads, all in or around the Crestwood Industrial Park: Church Road, Crestwood Road, Elmwood Avenue, Oak Hill Road and William O Sword Drive, said the projects update posted by the county road and bridge department at luzernecounty.org.

Project surveying and design is underway, with construction expected to start next year, it said.

A roster of other roads that will be tackled with this American Rescue allocation has not yet been released.

“Several other drainage improvements on various county roads have been identified and are being evaluated for improvements,” the update said. “The locations will be grouped together and packaged for bidding later this construction season.”

County Engineer Lawrence Plesh has said stormwater projects are one of the allowable uses under the federal American Rescue program, and this is an opportunity to widen shoulders and regrade and set back swales that collect water along many county-owned roads. He expected the American Rescue funding also would cover associated paving of the sections requiring stormwater enhancements, which are typically the most deteriorated stretches due to water pooling or repeatedly flowing across.

Other county roads

Final construction documents are in the works to proceed with the base repair and resurfacing of Hillside Road in Kingston and Jackson townships, and a pre-construction meeting is set for this month, the report said.

Hillside will be primarily state-funded through the Lackawanna/Luzerne Metropolitan Planning Organization, or MPO, Transportation Improvement Program and require a county match of approximately 20%.

The base repair and paving of West County Road in Sugarloaf Township is expected to go out to bid next month, with construction targeted for August, the report said.

Work on West County Road will be primarily funded through a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Multimodal Grant and include added bike lanes.

In Ross Township, the county is still proceeding with base repair, paving and drainage improvements on Sweet Valley Road, but the completion date has been pushed back until 2024, the report said.

Council had voted in June 2022 to use $1.86 million of American Rescue Plan funding for that project — an allocation separate from the more recent $9.96 million American Rescue earmark. However, the report said the project is now being funded through a Highway Infrastructure Program Appropriation Act earmark, which will impact the design and submission process, resulting in the delay.

Also in Ross Township, the county is in the process of designing a project to complete base repairs and pave Broadway Road and add bike lanes, it said. This is another state multimodal grant-funded project. It is set to be bid out in early 2024, with construction expected to begin next summer.

The county completed some base repair improvements on St. Mary’s Road in Dorrance and Hollenback townships with available liquid fuels funding, but more funding must be identified to complete all sections warranting repairs, the report said.

This isn’t a traditional paving project because it focuses on areas that have potholes and cracks due to an underlying base that is too thin, Plesh has said. In a process known as “mechanical edge pavement,” contractors cut out such sections and add more base, he said.

The county also is seeking funding through the Lackawanna/Luzerne MPO, Transportation Improvement Program to resurface the county-owned Huntsville Extension in Jackson and Lehman townships, which is among those deemed the most deteriorated by the county road/bridge department, according to the county’s new proposed capital plan. This project is estimated to cost $1.6 million, it said.

Bridges

More than a dozen smaller county-owned bridges and culverts are in various stages of being addressed, the report said. A synopsis:

• Harris Hill Road, Kingston Township

Replacement of the stone arch bridge will be covered by county Act 13 funding, but the project will be delayed until Spring 2024 due to a utility issue.

• Sleepy Hollow Road, Butler Township

Replacement of the steel truss bridge will be delayed until late in the 2024 construction season because a gas main must be relocated and additional funding is needed.

• Hillside Road, Kingston Township

Planning continues on replacing the current bridge, and the project is set for construction in 2026, the report said. This project will be funded by the state’s award of a $2 million match for the county’s implementation of a $5 vehicle registration fee that council halted the end of 2021.

• Kisenwether Road, Sugarloaf Township

The project to replace the superstructure of the current bridge is set to be bid out the end of this summer, and work will be covered by the county’s Act 89 funding.

• Belles Hill Road, Union Township

Replacement of the concrete slab bridge with a precast box culvert is expected to be completed by the end of the 2023 construction season. The county is tackling four other township bridges in 2024 as part of a bridge bundling package.

• Stout Road, Nescopeck Township

The county is awaiting a prefabricated concrete structure to replace the concrete slab bridge, which means the project completion has been delayed to Spring 2024.

• Chicks Lane, Black Creek Township

The county is proceeding with a right-of-way condemnation on one property needed to replace the old stone masonry arch bridge with a prefabricated arch span, with project completion expected the end of 2024.

• Cherry Hill Road, Huntington Township, and Beach Grove Road in Salem Township

Design and permitting are pending to replace the concrete crossings with aluminized corrugated metal arches, with project completion expected by the end of 2024.

• Heslop Road, Rice Township

This project will install a prefabricated concrete arch culvert to replace a masonry arch culvert damaged in 2021 due to Tropical Storm Ida, it said. The county is awaiting final approval for replacement funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The project was bid out in May and targeted for completion the end of this year.

• Newhart Road, Jackson Township

The concrete slab must be repaired or replaced, and the county has been working through creating a temporary by-pass to proceed with the project, which is set to be covered by $600,000 in county Act 89 funding, according to the proposed capital plan.

• Patla Road, Ross Township

Design and permitting are underway to replace the superstructure of the bridge, with completion expected in 2025. This project is estimated to cost $300,000 and will be funded with Act 89 receipts, the proposed capital plan said.

Report reaction

County Council Vice Chairman John Lombardo said he is pleased “to see that there’s some movement on these projects.”

“I think it’s important that the public understands this is on our radar. We’ve been trying to chip away at it as quickly as possible, but unfortunately the process of repaving a road or replacing a bridge isn’t something that can get done overnight,” he said.

In addition to the exhaustive search for potential internal and external funding, the projects require design, bids and other governmental approvals, Lombardo said.

The county has approximately 120 miles of roads and 300 bridges scattered within its boundaries, many inherited from municipalities during the Great Depression.

One of the main points he discussed in his first meeting with new county Manager Romilda Crocamo was the creation of a comprehensive master plan to track repairs and maintenance needed on all county infrastructure.

“Fortunately, she already has a lot of that in mind,” Lombardo said.